Rudiment 5 of 40 · Multiple bounce roll rudiments
Triple Stroke Roll
Also called: French roll
The triple stroke roll plays three strokes with each hand: RRR LLL. PAS writes it in sixteenth-note triplets. Playing three even notes from one wrist movement takes real bounce control, which makes it a great workout for the fingers.
- Sticking
- RRRLLL RRRLLL
- Accents
- No accents. Three even strokes per hand, in sixteenth-note triplets.
- Family
- Roll rudiments
- Strokes before it repeats
- 12, 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 Triple Stroke Roll: a fill, a groove, a fill around the toms, and a pulse to practice over.
How to play the Triple Stroke Roll
- Read the sticking. The Triple Stroke Roll is RRRLLL RRRLLL. Say the letters out loud before you play them.
- Find the accents. No accents. Three even strokes per hand, in sixteenth-note triplets. 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: LLLRRR LLLRRR.
Tips
- The second and third strokes come from rebound and fingers. Don't lift the arm three times.
- All three strokes should be the same volume. The third one tends to fade.
- Practice it slowly as RRR LLL with a full stroke on every note first.
Triple Stroke Roll questions
What is the sticking for the Triple Stroke Roll?
RRRLLL RRRLLL. 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 Triple Stroke Roll?
No accents. Three even strokes per hand, in sixteenth-note triplets. With accents marked: R R R L L L | R R R L L L.
How many notes are in the Triple Stroke Roll?
The pattern as written by the Percussive Arts Society has 12 main strokes, then repeats.
What tempo should I practice the Triple 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 Triple Stroke Roll one of the original 26 rudiments?
No. The Triple Stroke Roll was added when the Percussive Arts Society expanded the list to 40 in 1984. It is rudiment #5, 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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