Strictly Technique Build a More Balanced Double-Stroke Roll Inverting the Diddles to Increase Strength and Precision by Jeff W. Johnson This month we’ll examine a technique used to balance out the double-stroke roll. A double-stroke roll should have a machine-gun-type sound, with each stroke sounding identical to the previous one. The second stroke of each double is often the problem spot for many drummers. One effective practice method for evening out doubles is inverting the roll, where you play a single stroke followed by a series of double strokes. This is seen in the first example. The approach places the second note of the double stroke on the strong beats (1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&), while the first note is on the weaker partials (each “e” and “a”). Playing double strokes with a triplet base will shift the second note of the double to each of the three parts of the triplet. Practice the […]

October 2015 Issue