Rudiment: single-stroke roll

     Rudiments are the basic vocabulary of the drums. They were created many years ago by
     the military snare drummers and are essential for developing your hand technique. The
     first rudiment we'll work on is the single-stroke roll. The single-stroke roll uses one stroke
     per hand: R-L-R-L (left-handed drummers can reverse the sticking L-R-L-R). Start
     slowly and work on the evenness of the roll. Don't be on a hurry to play fast! Speed
     comes later, when the technique is executed evenly on a consistent basis.

Single-stroke roll in quarter notes

Single-stroke roll in eighth notes

Single-stroke roll played in different note values
     Make sure to count and listen for consistency. Don't play too quickly at first; walk before
     you run!

Basic stroke technique

It is very important that your right-hand strokes sound the same as your left-hand strokes. Here are two suggestions for getting your hands to sound even.

     1.Make sure that your hands begin their strokes from same height, and that they return to
        the same height. If one hand is higher than the other, they won't sound even.

     2.Make sure both hands strike the drum with the same intensity.

Don't squeeze or pinch the sticks as you hit the drum. Any unnecessary tension will result in fatigue, cramping, or blisters. Let the stick do the work for you. Imagine the sticks like a basketball.When you throw a basketball down, it bounces back to you. The speed in which it returns is in direct relation to how much velocity was used in the initial throw. The same goes with your sticks. to freely rebound so that you are more concerned with the initial"down" than the "up."The"up" will take care of itself because of the rebound. Try to avoid pressing or choking the stick into the head as you hit and you'll have great results!

As you play the snare drum , or any other drum in your set, strike the center of the head to achieve a full drum sound. Make sure that your strokes travel in a straight line directly down to the head. As you practice, watch your sticks so that you don't hit them together.

Snare Drum Technique

Holding The sticks

     There are two ways of holding the sticks. Try both and find which one works one works for you.

Matched Grip

     Matched grip is a very natural and effective technique in which both 

     hands hold the sticks the same way.

     Grip the stick between the thumb and first joint of the index finger. 

     Hold it about a third  of the way, about

     five inches, end of the stick. Use the other three fingers to help control

     the stick.

     Make sure to avoid any unnecessary tension in the hand, using just 

     enough to hold on to the stick. Keep a gap open between the thumb

     and first finger.

     To play, turn the hand so that the back of the hand is facing upward. 

     Think palm down.

Traditional Grip

     In the traditional grip, the right hand holds the stick as in the matched grip, while the left hand holds the 

     stick in a sideways fashion as described below. (If you are left-handed, you may want to reverse these 

     instructions.) This technique originated from military snare drumming in which the snare was slung around 

     the neck and held to the side.

Step 1. Place the stick between the thumb and index finger, with one-

             third of the stick (the butt end extending beyond the hand.

Step 2. The index and middle fingers should rest lightly on the top of the

             stick to act as guide. The stick should rest across the top of the

             ring finger for support. The pinky should rest against the ring

             finger.

The right hand holds the stick matched grip, the left hand traditional grip.

Drumset Notation

The following table will help you with the drumset notation used in this website.  Drumseto notation is very logical and visually easy to understand when you remember that all of the instruments appear on the staff according to their relative highness and lowness:
     *The lower-pitched instruments like the bass drum appear on the lower lines and spaces;
     *The higher-pitched instruments like the ride cymbal appear higher up on the staff. The stepped hi-hat,
       because it is played with the left. foot, is the only exception to this rule.

Notice that the stems ho up for instruments played with the hands, and down for instruments played with the feet.

* It is a good idea to have two crash cymbals, and some of the exercises in this book call for two.

These are the symbols indicating the different sounds used when playing the hi-hay cymbals.

The notation for the various instruments of the drumset will be reviewed as needed throughout the book. Use this page as an easy, at-a-glance reference.