the long roll, the mother of all rudiments, where it
all begins.
mastering the roll is not only key to
playing most of the other rudiments well, but also key to
solid control with various playing surfaces- be it toms,
cymbals, wood blocks, or even hand drums!
rolls of any length can be played open or closed. for
this talk, i will focus on the open roll since it will aid the
most in stick control development.
the technical
description is quite simple- two beats per hand - alternated:
RR LL RR LL....start slow and increase the speed. the moment
you start 'bouncing' them, you've lost control. call this your
threshold. this is the speed you want to work past with
controlled attack and rebound. don't forget to use your
fingers and wrists to move the stick- NOT your arms.
although the long roll is a core rudiment, it can be
boring compared to others. i would like to challenge you to
practice it in two ways you may not have tried before:
#1 get away from anything that resembles a drum, and
take your sticks to a soft playing surface. this could be your
pillow, your bed (just not a loved one's butt).
#2
turn your sticks backwards, pointing in towards your forearms
(as shown in the picture above). this little trick not only
helps to develop finger strength but also controlling attack
since the harder you hit, the more it stings.
as a general reminder for playing rudiments, start
slow, painfully slow, then build your speed gradually. pay
attention to the balance of your hands in terms of speed and
attack. once you have reached a speed that is fast,
comfortable, and you don't fumble the ball, slow it back down
[gradually] to the initial speed.
