Rudiment 2 of 40 · Single stroke roll rudiments
Single Stroke Four
The single stroke four is four alternating strokes: three fast sixteenth-note triplets landing on an eighth note. PAS writes each group starting with the same hand (RLRL RLRL), so the burst always begins on your lead hand. It is a common quick fill and pickup into a beat.
- Sticking
- RLRL RLRL
- Accents
- No accents. Three sixteenth-note triplets lead into an eighth note.
- Family
- Roll rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 8, same lead hand each group
- 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 eighth-note triplets. 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 Single Stroke Four: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Single Stroke Four
- Read the sticking. The Single Stroke Four is RLRL RLRL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. No accents. Three sixteenth-note triplets lead into an eighth note. 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: LRLR LRLR.
Tips
- Feel the fourth note as the landing point. The triplet is a pickup into it.
- Keep the triplet even. It is easy to rush the first two notes.
- Try it around the toms: the three triplet notes on one drum, the fourth on another.
Put it on the drum set: Lesson 19: Sixteenth-Note Fill, Lesson 8: Your First Fill.
Single Stroke Four questions
What is the sticking for the Single Stroke Four?
RLRL RLRL. 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 Single Stroke Four?
No accents. Three sixteenth-note triplets lead into an eighth note. With accents marked: R L R L | R L R L.
How many notes are in the Single Stroke Four?
The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 8 main strokes, then repeats.
What tempo should I practice the Single Stroke Four 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 Single Stroke Four one of the original 26 rudiments?
No. The Single Stroke Four was added when the Percussive Arts Society expanded the list to 40 in 1984. It is rudiment #2, 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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