How to Fatten Up Your Double Stroke Rolls 

 by Rich Viano

When you’re talking about quality of sound, one key element is sound body.  How full and fat do you sound?  (Not to be confused with how loud.)  You can have full-bodied sound at all dynamic levels.  That should be your mission.   

This article is going to focus on the sound of a double stroke roll, two strokes on each hand in succession.  The “open” roll, as some call it, is one of the most used rudimental treatments.  Even the legendary drummer Bill Bruford has a book entitled “When In Doubt Roll.”

There are two main components of the roll.  The actually double beat, or “diddle” and the primary hand motion or “check pattern.”  Both elements have equal value to your overall sound.  

First, let’s talk down the check pattern.  With any musician and especially percussionists, timing is of the essence.  Learning how to play in time is crucial.  As a side note: with any thing you want to practice, it’s always a good idea to use a metronome.  It’s also a good idea to turn the metronome off once in a while too.  Be careful of getting mechanical with the metronome on all the time.  I digress. 

The check pattern is the literal wrist and arm movements.  In a regular 32^nd note roll, the check pattern is successive 16^th notes.  Each 16^th note stroke or hand motion delivers two 32^nd note diddles or double beats.  Having perfect space between the 16^th notes is the first step to improved roll quality. 

You want your rolls to sound even and not pulsed.  I see a lot of high school students that play with “the heavy right hand.”  For a student, emphasizing the right hand is a way for them to feel the meter in a roll.  When you have a nice even, fat roll, it takes tremendous concentration. Your mind has to be in complete touch with the feel of your hands and the timing of the music.  Establishing a “feel” relationship with your hands is important.

In most roll exercises, you will notice that they usually start with 2 beats worth of 16^th notes followed by 2 beats worth of 32^nd note rolls.  The purpose of that format is to provide the student with 2 counts of hand motion or check pattern, so they can focus on the space and timing of the 16^th’s.  When teaching these exercises, make sure the kids do not change the primary motion of their hands when they add the diddles in the last two counts of the bar.   The whole idea is to add double beat strokes to a perfect check pattern.  That alone will get your rolls improving in a hurry.

I look at the hand motion as a Christmas tree.  If my objective is to assemble a beautiful tree for the holidays, I have several choices.  I can start with a box of $1,000 ornaments and lights, but if I have a $3 Charlie brown tree, the ornaments aren’t quite as impressive.

On the other hand, if I have a box of $100 ornaments and lights and a $100 dollar tree, the balance between the two elements makes a much nicer presentation.   

To me, the tree represents the hand motion.  It is of great importance, but sometimes overlooked because it is perceived as “uneventful.”  The ornaments are diddles, flams, drags, etc, etc.  Kids love to play them, but rarely understand them.  Kind of like the $1000 ornaments on a cheap tree. 

Part two: The double beat. 

The second half of roll quality is getting your double beat or diddle full.  Most drum line programs have specific exercises for building double beats.  The double beat involves a stroke and rebound stroke on the same hand.  In succession (hand motion) this creates the roll.  

Don’t just work the successive double beats.  Work an exercise like 16/32 that isolates single diddles on each sixteenth note value, then isolates two successive diddles on each combination of 16^th note pairs, etc, etc.  Focusing on one diddle at a time is sometimes more digestible for the younger student.

Double beats are hard, because the first stroke has the volume benefit of the primary stroke and the second beat usually sounds weaker because it’s a rebound.  Your main objective is to get the second beat of the diddle to speak as full as the first.  

Tempo is your friend.  Building strong double beats requires patience and dedication at slower tempos.  At slow tempos your hands are more capable of manipulating the second stroke.  Have your kids think about getting the height of the second stroke as high as the first.  It is crucial to set your rehearsal tempos at a speed where total control can be achieved.  Keep in mind, drumming is all about muscle memory.  Repetitions at slow tempos are incredibly helpful, especially when executing outstanding technique and focusing on sound quality. Gradually work up the tempos.  Using mirrors and a metronome are key.  Kids need to see their sticks.  Using mirrors allows them to maintain good posture and focus on their hands.  With my programs, I use video cameras like crazy.  I video each kid’s hands and let them evaluate their progress.

You will need to do some “chop busting” or as I call it, “tuna fishing.”  Playing rolls requires strength. Not the kind of strength you get from pumping iron.  The kind of strength you get from marching around a track for a few hours, playing roll exercises. 

You have to push your hands.  After you have spent quality time on tempo control and timing at speeds you can handle, set the metronome on fire and burn a few repetitions.  It won’t sound that great, but it will improve with time.  It’s a necessary step to build chops.  Think of it like a marathon runner.  If you are racing a 10-mile race, a good runner will prepare their body for 15 miles. 

Put these two elements together ON A REGULAR BASIS and I guarantee success.  Having a great roll sound will do wonders for your drum line and it’s a great cornerstone rudiment.

Good luck,

Rich Viano

Rich Viano is the Manager of the Express Music Publishing Percussion Division. He is also the leader of the Village Beatniks at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and the Percussion Designer/Writer for the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps.

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