Question: I've been told that to play a double stroke roll all you have to do is catch the stick after the second bounce. I've also been told that you should make two motions of the wrist. How would you teach/play a double stroke roll?

Mike Davies
Martingrove C.I.

Answer: There is confusion about the double stroke roll because you can get away with simply bouncing the stick twice, but by making a second wrist movement when playing slow to medium-fast rolls you will achieve much greater intensity and control.

Students should start off practising double strokes slowly, making two even taps with each hand. It’s a good idea to practise this on a pillow or any object that doesn’t bounce in order to build up the wrists. As the roll gets faster, the student begins to redirect the energy coming back off the drum after the first stroke – the bounce – into the second wrist stroke. As a result, the wrist begins making a smaller motion for the second stroke. As the roll gets still faster, the second wrist motion will ultimately disappear, but not until the double strokes are quite fast.

Open rolls are played at different speeds. For example, if your students are playing 7-stroke rolls on an eighth note and you’re rehearsing a piece at 60 clicks on the metronome, he/she will be using a lot more wrist on the second stroke than if you’re playing at 90. When students begin to bounce double strokes too soon, they will be unable to play open rolls cleanly and evenly at slower tempos.