Rudiment 12 of 40 · Double stroke open roll rudiments
Eleven Stroke Roll
The eleven stroke roll is five doubles and an accented single: RRLLRRLLRR L. It ends with an eighth rest, and PAS writes it starting with the same hand each time.
- Sticking
- RRLLRRLLRRL RRLLRRLLRRL
- Accents
- The eleventh stroke, the single that ends the roll.
- Family
- Roll rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 22, same lead hand each group
- Original 26 rudiments
- Yes (1933)
- Starting tempo
- About 40 BPM
Hear it, then play it
Practice version: every note is twice as long as on the PAS chart, so the fastest notes are sixteenth notes. Same sticking and accents, easier to read and count while you learn it. Sticking under each note: R right hand, L left; small letters are grace notes.
Press Play to watch the sticks
Put it in RockBlocks
The practice version on a snare line at 40 BPM, accents and all, to build on or play with your other beats. RockBlocks has no grace notes or sticking, so flams and drags arrive as their main notes.
Play it on the drum kit
Four beats built on the Eleven Stroke Roll: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Eleven Stroke Roll
- Read the sticking. The Eleven Stroke Roll is RRLLRRLLRRL RRLLRRLLRRL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. The eleventh stroke, the single that ends the roll. Start accents high and keep taps low, so the difference comes from stick height.
- Play it slowly with a click. Start around 40 BPM, or slower, and play it until every stroke is on the right hand and every accent is in place.
- Open, close, open. Speed up a few BPM at a time to as fast as you can play it cleanly, then slow back down without stopping.
- Lead with the other hand. Play it starting with your left hand too: LLRRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRLLR.
Tips
- Make the second stroke of every double as loud as the first. Let the stick bounce, then pull the second note out with your fingers.
- An odd-numbered roll is pairs of doubles plus one accented single: count the doubles, and the accent lands on the next beat.
Put it on the drum set: Lesson 59: Dynamic Crescendo Fill.
Eleven Stroke Roll questions
What is the sticking for the Eleven Stroke Roll?
RRLLRRLLRRL RRLLRRLLRRL. R is the right hand and L the left. Every group starts on the same hand; to lead with the other hand, swap every R and L.
Where are the accents in the Eleven Stroke Roll?
The eleventh stroke, the single that ends the roll. With accents marked: R R L L R R L L R R >L | R R L L R R L L R R >L.
How many notes are in the Eleven Stroke Roll?
The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 22 main strokes, then repeats.
What tempo should I practice the Eleven Stroke Roll at?
Start slowly enough to play every sticking and accent correctly, around 40 BPM or below. Then practice open–close–open: speed up a few BPM at a time, and slow back down.
Is the Eleven Stroke Roll one of the original 26 rudiments?
Yes. The Eleven Stroke Roll is one of the 26 American rudiments standardized in 1933, and is rudiment #12 of the 40 PAS International Drum Rudiments, in the roll rudiments.
Sticking, accents and note values follow the Percussive Arts Society International Drum Rudiments (© 1984 PAS). The chart is RockBlocks' own drawing.
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