Rudiment · Beginner

Single stroke roll: sticking and a play-along

One hand, then the other, every eighth note. The first rudiment. The four exercises below take it a step at a time, each one ready to play on your kit.

Play the single stroke roll on your kit

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Single stroke roll sticking

R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L

Right-hand lead

L R L R L R L R L R L R L R L R

Left-hand lead

R is the right hand, L the left. 16 strokes a bar.

Strokes a second at each tempo
BPM	60	80	90	100	120
Strokes a second	4	5.3	6	6.7	8

1. Single strokes, eighths

One hand, then the other, every eighth note. The first rudiment. Right, left, right, left. Accent the beat.

Tempo: 100 BPM
Level: Beginner 1 of 5
Time signature: 4/4
Feel: Straight 16ths
Run: 29 s · 12 bars
Limbs: Both hands

Single stroke roll: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum	1	e	&	a	2	e	&	a	3	e	&	a	4	e	&	a
Snare	X		x		X		x		X		x		X		x

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit, a bold X an accent.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Snare on every eighth, accented on every beat. Said aloud: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

2. Single strokes, sixteenths

The same alternation twice as fast, accents on the beat. Keep the strokes even; the accent is a bigger stroke, not a faster one.

Tempo: 90 BPM
Level: Beginner 2 of 5
Time signature: 4/4
Feel: Straight 16ths
Run: 21 s · 8 bars
Limbs: Both hands

Single strokes in sixteenths: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum	1	e	&	a	2	e	&	a	3	e	&	a	4	e	&	a
Snare	X	x	x	x	X	x	x	x	X	x	x	x	X	x	x	x

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit, a bold X an accent.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Snare on every sixteenth, accented on every beat. Said aloud: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

3. Singles between two drums

Right hand on the snare, left on the high tom, so you can see each hand. Alternate: snare, tom, snare, tom. Both hands the same height.

Tempo: 90 BPM
Level: Beginner 2 of 5
Time signature: 4/4
Feel: Straight 16ths
Run: 21 s · 8 bars
Limbs: Both hands

Singles between two drums: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum	1	e	&	a	2	e	&	a	3	e	&	a	4	e	&	a
High tom (L)		x		x		x		x		x		x		x		x
Snare (R)	x		x		x		x		x		x		x		x

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

The hands on every sixteenth, the right on the snare and the left on the high tom. Said aloud: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

4. Roll to the crash

A bar of sixteenths on the snare, landing on a crash and kick. Even singles, the beats a little louder, then hit the one together.

Tempo: 84 BPM
Level: Beginner 2 of 5
Time signature: 4/4
Feel: Straight 16ths
Run: 34 s · 12 bars
Limbs: Both hands and the kick foot

Bar 1 of 2

Roll to the crash, bar 1 of 2: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum	1	e	&	a	2	e	&	a	3	e	&	a	4	e	&	a
Snare	X	x	x	x	X	x	x	x	X	x	x	x	X	x	x	x

Bar 2 of 2

Roll to the crash, bar 2 of 2: one row per drum, one column per sixteenth of a bar of 4/4
Drum	1	e	&	a	2	e	&	a	3	e	&	a	4	e	&	a
Crash	x
Kick	x

Each column is a sixteenth. x is a hit, a bold X an accent.

Play it on your kit

Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Bar 1: snare on every sixteenth, accented on every beat. Said aloud: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Bar 2: kick and crash on 1. Said aloud: 1

What DRUMY judges

Each note is judged on when it lands, within 140 ms, and on which drum, not on how hard: the accents are drawn, not judged. All of what DRUMY judges.

Easy songs near 100 BPM

Easy songs at 99 to 100 BPM, picked for their tempo alone, not for this pattern.

Given UpLinkin Park

Dancing QueenABBA

Man In The MirrorMichael Jackson

Re-HashGorillaz

I Want It That WayBackstreet Boys

All easy drum songs →

The single stroke roll: questions

What tempo is the single stroke roll at here?

Step 1 runs at 100 BPM, step 2 at 90 BPM, step 3 at 90 BPM and step 4 at 84 BPM: about 106 seconds of playing in all.

How many strokes a second is the single stroke roll?

16 strokes a bar at 90 BPM is 6 strokes a second. At 60 BPM it would be 4, and at 120 BPM 8.

Single stroke roll: sticking and a play-along

Single stroke roll sticking

1. Single strokes, eighths

2. Single strokes, sixteenths

3. Singles between two drums

4. Roll to the crash

Bar 1 of 2

Bar 2 of 2

What DRUMY judges

Easy songs near 100 BPM

The single stroke roll: questions

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