Five Stroke Roll

Grip & Sticking

Also called five stroke ruff, five strokes.

Did-dle, did-dle, accent: R R L L R, mirrored as L L R R L. Two even doubles and a landing stroke. Many charts accent the first stroke as well as the last; either way the roll is a setup — two quiet strokes per hand, then a note that means it.

The shortest path from a groove to a fill. That ta-ta-ta-TUM tail sits at the end of countless fills in rock, country and disco — a few clicks on the hi-hat, a five stroke roll to the snare, done. Rolled into a crash it becomes a quick crescendo. Play for ten years and you will still use it every week.

Metronome at 60 to 80 bpm, one roll per click, with the accent landing exactly on the click. Practise the left-hand lead until it matches the right — for almost everyone, left-led doubles are the messier pair. Keep the two diddles evenly quiet so the accent actually reads. If the last stroke arrives late, the second diddle is the culprit; loop it alone.