Rudiment 1 of 40 · Single stroke roll rudiments

Single Stroke Roll

Also called: singles

The single stroke roll alternates one stroke per hand: right, left, right, left. It is the first rudiment most drummers learn and the root of fast fills, tom runs and almost every other rudiment. The goal is two hands that sound exactly alike.

Sticking: RLRL RLRL
Accents: No accents. Every stroke is even.
Family: Roll rudiments
Strokes before it repeats: 8, same lead hand each group
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 Single 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 Single Stroke Roll

Read the sticking. The Single Stroke Roll is RLRL RLRL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
Find the accents. No accents. Every stroke is even. 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: LRLR LRLR.

Tips

Listen for evenness: close your eyes and try to hear which hand is which. You shouldn't be able to tell.
Lead with your weaker hand too, using the Lead with left switch.
Start slow, then speed up only as far as you can stay relaxed.

Put it on the drum set: Lesson 19: Sixteenth-Note Fill, Lesson 8: Your First Fill.

Single Stroke Roll questions

What is the sticking for the Single Stroke Roll?

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 Roll?

No accents. Every stroke is even. With accents marked: R L R L | R L R L.

How many notes are in the Single Stroke Roll?

The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 8 main strokes, then repeats.

What tempo should I practice the Single 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 Single Stroke Roll one of the original 26 rudiments?

Yes. The Single Stroke Roll is one of the 26 American rudiments standardized in 1933, and is rudiment #1 of the 40 PAS International Drum Rudiments, in the roll rudiments.

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