Rudiment 15 of 40 · Double stroke open roll rudiments
Seventeen Stroke Roll
The seventeen stroke roll is eight doubles and an accented single: RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLL R. It is the longest roll on the PAS list, filling a half note before the accent, and alternates hands each time.
- Sticking
- RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRLLRRLLRRL
- Accents
- The seventeenth stroke, the single that ends the roll.
- Family
- Roll rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 34, alternating lead hands
- Original 26 rudiments
- No, added by PAS in 1984
- 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 Seventeen Stroke Roll: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Seventeen Stroke Roll
- Read the sticking. The Seventeen Stroke Roll is RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRLLRRLLRRL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. The seventeenth 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: LLRRLLRRLLRRLLRRL RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLLR.
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.
- Keep the doubles even all the way through. Long rolls tend to speed up.
Put it on the drum set: Lesson 59: Dynamic Crescendo Fill.
Seventeen Stroke Roll questions
What is the sticking for the Seventeen Stroke Roll?
RRLLRRLLRRLLRRLLR LLRRLLRRLLRRLLRRL. R is the right hand and L the left. It switches lead hands every group.
Where are the accents in the Seventeen Stroke Roll?
The seventeenth stroke, the single that ends the roll. With accents marked: R R L L R R L L R R L L R R L L >R | L L R R L L R R L L R R L L R R >L.
How many notes are in the Seventeen Stroke Roll?
The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 34 main strokes, then repeats.
What tempo should I practice the Seventeen 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 Seventeen Stroke Roll one of the original 26 rudiments?
No. The Seventeen Stroke Roll was added when the Percussive Arts Society expanded the list to 40 in 1984. It is rudiment #15, 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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