Rudiment 7 of 40 · Double stroke open roll rudiments

Five Stroke Roll

The five stroke roll is two doubles and an accented single: RRLL R, then LLRR L. It alternates hands each time, and is the most common short roll in marching and drum set playing.

Sticking: RRLLR LLRRL
Accents: The fifth stroke, the single that ends the roll.
Family: Roll rudiments
Strokes before it repeats: 10, alternating lead hands
Original 26 rudiments: Yes (1933)
Starting tempo: About 60 BPM

Hear it, then play it

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Practice version: every note is four times as long as on the PAS chart, so the fastest notes are eighth 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

Lead

Tempo60 BPM

Put it in RockBlocks

The practice version on a snare line at 60 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 Five Stroke Roll: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.

Open the 4 beats

How to play the Five Stroke Roll

Read the sticking. The Five Stroke Roll is RRLLR LLRRL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
Find the accents. The fifth 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 60 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: LLRRL RRLLR.

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.
The accent is a single stroke on the beat. Let the doubles lead into it.
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.

Five Stroke Roll questions

What is the sticking for the Five Stroke Roll?

RRLLR LLRRL. R is the right hand and L the left. It switches lead hands every group.

Where are the accents in the Five Stroke Roll?

The fifth stroke, the single that ends the roll. With accents marked: R R L L >R | L L R R >L.

How many notes are in the Five Stroke Roll?

The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 10 main strokes, then repeats.

What tempo should I practice the Five Stroke Roll at?

Start slowly enough to play every sticking and accent correctly, around 60 BPM or below. Then practice open–close–open: speed up a few BPM at a time, and slow back down.

Is the Five Stroke Roll one of the original 26 rudiments?

Yes. The Five Stroke Roll is one of the 26 American rudiments standardized in 1933, and is rudiment #7 of the 40 PAS International Drum Rudiments, in the roll rudiments.

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