6. The Six Stroke Roll

The six stroke roll is a rudiment that is not as popular as its’ brothers; however developing this pattern is a must. The six stroke roll is a distinct pattern that can be incorporated in many different fills beats and solos. It obviously consists of 6 strokes, 2 singles and 2 doubles. It is played – Right   Left   Left   Right   Right   Left. Make sure you are practicing this leading with both hands. When you practice this rudiment, practice it slow to make sure you are playing it correctly. When you play it fast, it can sometimes sound muddy, so make sure you are playing six strokes. Mastering this rudiment will help develop your stick control, and broaden your variety around the drum set! This is what the six stroke roll looks like:

 

7. The Seven Stroke Roll

The seven stroke roll is yet another rudiment incorporating single and double strokes. Like the 5 stroke roll, you want to make sure you are playing this rudiment correctly. This rudiment contains seven strokes, three double strokes followed by a single stroke. It is played – Right  Right  Left  Left  Right  Right  Left. Again, make sure you are practicing this rudiment leading with both hands. A lot of drummers stop practicing their rolls past the five stroke roll, this is a mistake since they are all different and have their own place in music. Being able to control your sticks to play 7 strokes at fast tempos will increase your skills around the drum set big time. The seven stroke roll can be written in a few different ways. Check out both ways below!

 

8. The Nine Stroke Roll

The nine stroke roll is another exercise involving doubles and singles on the sticks. This rudiment contains nine strokes, four doubles followed by a single:

Right Right Left Left Right Right Left Left Right.

Practicing the nine stroke roll will build control on the sticks. As soon as you start working on higher stroke rolls, you are training yourself to count and control the amount of strokes you are playing, giving you a strong control of your hands. The nine stroke roll is great for solos, snare drum play, and fills. Practice your nine stroke roll on a practice pad with a metronome to make sure you are playing this rudiment correctly. There are many different ways to write this drum set rudiment, so make sure you can recognize this on paper. Here are two examples:

9. The Thirteen Stroke Roll

The thirteen stroke roll is another rudiment that involved doubles and singles on the sticks. This rudiment contains 13 strokes, and should be practiced in both directions; left and right hand dominant. The thirteen stroke roll is played with six doubles followed by a single stroke:

Right Right Left Left Right Right Left Left Right Right Left Left Right

When you start playing higher stroke rolls, you train yourself to control the amount of strokes you are playing, which develops your drum stick control. Practice this rudiment on a practice pad with a metronome so you make sure you are staying on time. There are a few ways to write this rudiment out on paper, so make sure you are familiar with all the options so you can recognize this rudiment everywhere. Here are a few examples: