Rudiment 10 of 40 · Double stroke open roll rudiments
Nine Stroke Roll
The nine stroke roll is four doubles and an accented single: RRLLRRLL R, then LLRRLLRR L. It alternates hands each time and fills a quarter note before landing on the next beat.
- Sticking
- RRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRL
- Accents
- The ninth stroke, the single that ends the roll.
- Family
- Roll rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 18, alternating lead hands
- 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 Nine Stroke Roll: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Nine Stroke Roll
- Read the sticking. The Nine Stroke Roll is RRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. The ninth 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: LLRRLLRRL RRLLRRLLR.
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.
- Feel the roll as one full beat, and the accent as the next beat.
Put it on the drum set: Lesson 59: Dynamic Crescendo Fill.
Nine Stroke Roll questions
What is the sticking for the Nine Stroke Roll?
RRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRL. R is the right hand and L the left. It switches lead hands every group.
Where are the accents in the Nine Stroke Roll?
The ninth stroke, the single that ends the roll. With accents marked: R R L L R R L L >R | L L R R L L R R >L.
How many notes are in the Nine Stroke Roll?
The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 18 main strokes, then repeats.
What tempo should I practice the Nine 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 Nine Stroke Roll one of the original 26 rudiments?
Yes. The Nine Stroke Roll is one of the 26 American rudiments standardized in 1933, and is rudiment #10 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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