Six stroke roll
A six stroke roll is a drum rudiment that involves striking a drum six times with alternating movements of the wrists and fingers. It consists of two double strokes followed by an accented note.
More specifically, a six stroke roll starts with an accented single note stroke, followed by two twice strokes (called diddles), and then ends with another accented single stroke. The six strokes are played quickly in succession to create a rolling effect.
Six stroke rolls, along with other rudiments like single, double and triple stroke rolls, are used by drummers for speed, fluidity and articulation. They are building blocks for playing more complex drum patterns and fills.
A standard drum rudiment in the category of roll rudiments and the sub-category of double stroke open roll rudiments that creates a sustained sound on a percussion instrument by rapidly alternating two strokes from each drumstick. The sticking pattern (shown below) is the accepted method of producing a six stroke roll and consists of an accented stroke followed by two strokes from each hand and finished with another accented stroke for a total of six strokes. The sticking patterns are written where "L" represents the left hand stroke and "R" the right hand stroke.
There are four common variations of the six stroke roll. Each is a quarter note in length and consists of two double strokes (RRLL) and two single strokes (R L).
See more about double stroke open roll rudiments in the Appendix.
Variations of the Six Stroke Roll
Variation #1: R-L-RR-LL L-R-LL-RR
Variation #2: R-LL-RR-L L-RR-LL-R
Variation #3: RR-LL-R-L LL-RR-L-R
Variation #4: RR-L-R-LL LL-R-L-RR
Leave a Reply