Double Stroke Roll
Two strokes per hand. The rebound has to do half the work or your speed ceiling stays low.
RRLLRRLL
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Double Stroke Roll
Two strokes per hand — RRLLRRLL. The rudiment where technique stops being optional.
R R L L R R L L Roll rudiments Audio at any tempo
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Generate drum loops with Drumloop AIHow to practise the double stroke roll
- Set the tempo slow — 60 BPM or below to start. Every stroke should be clearly audible on its own.
- Play it for a full minute without stopping, listening for whether both hands sound identical.
- Raise the tempo five BPM at a time. If the evenness goes, drop back to the last clean tempo.
- Once it is solid, move the accents around the kit to turn it into a fill.
How to play the double stroke roll
The double stroke roll plays two notes with each hand before alternating: RRLLRRLL. At slow tempos you can play both strokes with separate wrist motions, and that is the right way to learn it. Past roughly 100 BPM in sixteenth notes, though, two wrist strokes per hand becomes impossible to sustain, and the second note has to come from the stick's rebound with the fingers controlling it.
That transition is the single biggest technical hurdle in rudimental drumming. The symptom is a double stroke roll that sounds even and controlled up to a certain tempo and then collapses into an uneven flutter. The fix is not to push harder — it is to practise the rebound stroke deliberately at slow tempos, letting the stick bounce once and catching it with the fingers rather than the wrist.
Listen specifically for whether the second stroke of each pair is as loud as the first. An uneven double stroke roll is nearly always quieter on the second note, because the rebound is being allowed rather than controlled. Play it slowly against the metronome with subdivisions on and make the pairs match.
The sticking, note by note
| # | Hand | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Right | Accent — loudest stroke |
| 2 | Right | Tap — normal volume |
| 3 | Left | Tap — normal volume |
| 4 | Left | Tap — normal volume |
| 5 | Right | Accent — loudest stroke |
| 6 | Right | Tap — normal volume |
| 7 | Left | Tap — normal volume |
| 8 | Left | Tap — normal volume |
Frequently asked questions
Why does my double stroke roll fall apart at speed?
Almost always because you are still playing both strokes with the wrist. Above about 100 BPM in sixteenths there is not enough time for two separate wrist motions per hand, so the second stroke has to come from the stick's rebound, controlled by the fingers. Slow down until you can feel the rebound, then climb back up in small increments.
What is the difference between a double stroke roll and a buzz roll?
A double stroke roll plays exactly two controlled notes per hand. A buzz roll lets the stick bounce as many times as it will, producing a sustained wash instead of distinct notes. Double strokes are measured and countable; buzz rolls are not.
What tempo should I practise the double stroke roll at?
Start at whatever tempo lets you play every stroke evenly — for most people that is 60–80 BPM. Speed comes from repetition at a clean tempo, not from pushing past your control. Use the speed trainer on the metronome to climb in small, automatic increments.
Can I practise this over a real groove?
Yes, and it helps a great deal — playing into silence hides timing problems that a groove exposes immediately. Drumloop AI generates original, royalty-free drum loops at any tempo, and the free loop library is browsable by tempo.
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