"How To: Properly do a Drumroll" by Daniel J

 

Drumming is not something that just anyone does daily, but there is a whole world of technique and finesse that people are unaware about. Even with something as baseline as a drumroll, there is an impressive amount of concepts that go into just one rudiment. I am going to show how the roll works and what you need to do to produce the roll.

 

 

TOOLS:There are not many actual tools that would be needed to learn and practice how to do a drumroll but you would need drumsticks and if possible a drum pad. But, basically any hard surface (i.e. floor, table, counter, etc) would work.

 

STEP 1: get into a comfortable position and surrounding and if a possible, get into a quiet area so you can hear what is actually being played. Being in a quiet environment allows you to be more in tune with your own thoughts and how you feel which will transfer to your instrument, in this case the drum sticks.

 

STEP 2:HOLDING THE STICK

-Starting off with the most simple concept, how to hold the stick. There are many different styles of holding a drumstick but I have found having a three point fulcrum be the most efficient way to play. About six inches from the bottom of the stick is where you should plant the meaty part of your thumb. You are the going to want to create a triangle shape with your middle finger and index finger in correlation with your thumb. After that you want to just let the rest of your fingers relax and stay placed on the stick. But, you do not want your back fingers to come off of the stick. You will really want to make sure your grip is correct throughout everything you play.

            

 

STEP 3: HOW TO RELAX

-While playing, if your muscles are not used to the sensations of drumming, when playing something fast like a roll, it is really common to start to tense up and “death grip” the stick and flex the muscles in your arm. Focusing on your breathing while drumming is the most effective way to keep your muscles relaxed. Relaxation also allows you to produce the best sound quality. Squeezing the stick cuts off the sticks natural vibration and just makes it harder to play faster. When holding the stick, your grip should be relaxed enough to the point that someone can walk out and easily take the stick out of your hand but not loose enough where the stick going to fly out of your hand.

 

STEP 4: PLAYING THE CHECK RHYTHM

-With a roll, there is an underlying rhythm that dictates your hand speed. For example, If you wanted to play a 16th note roll, without the “diddles” your hands are playing a 8th note check rhythm. The roll will sound like there are 16 notes a beat, but your hands are moving at the speed they would while playing 8th notes. Same type of concept applies to triplet rolls. Your hands move at the speed of a triplet but it will sound like sixtuplets every beat.

 

STEP 5: UNDERSTANDING AND PLAYING A DIDDLE

-A diddle is drumming language for a double or two notes played on one hand. For example, two left hits and two right hits. To produce a diddle you will want to try to use your wrist to get each individual note but at faster tempos that is just not possible. So, you will want to find the right pressure your hand puts on the stick to get two notes out. To find this pressure you are going to squeeze a little and press the stick straight into the surface you are playing on and try to cut the sound off as quick as possible. Next, you will want to slowly start to release the pressure until when you push the stick into the surface, two distinct notes come out. Remember you are going to want to keep all fingers on the stick. The diddle will sound weak at first but you will want to give as much support with your back fingers(shown below) to make both notes sound the same.

 

STEP 6: BUILDING UP

-You want to make sure your the stick has as much room to “breath” while being controlled. Whe producing the diddle, to make it as strong as possible you can practice on a surface that would absorb all impact. LIke a pillow or a mattress. Doing so will help build the muscles needed to make both notes sound the exact same. When you add the diddle it should sound like the rhythm you are playing has doubled in notes. This is what I would do to really improve my roll quality and build my “chops”. I did this daily so no matter what complex rudiments or hybrid rudiments I played would be as high of quality as possible.

 

STEP 7: MOST IMPORTANT STEP

-Practice daily. Practicing anything drumming related, will strengthen your hands as a drummer and make you a better overall player.