The 5-Stroke Roll is a variation of the Double Stroke Roll, in which the drummer beats 2 strokes on one hand, 2 strokes on the other hand, and a final (typically hard) stroke on the first hand.
They are played:
Note: At faster tempos, 5-Stroke Rolls are typically alternated, as seen in the sticking above.
At slower tempos, many drumming styles beat only the right-hand 5s, even when several are played in a row.
This rudiment can be beaten “open” as 16th notes:
Learn more about the French Ra Détaillé, a French rudiment based on open double stroke rolls.
More commonly, they are “closed” into a Double Stroke Roll. Depending on the style, tempo, and time signature, they can have different rhythms.
5-Stroke Rolls can be performed “slowly” as duple-based, 32nd notes (see the first example above). These are counted “&a1 &a2”. They begin halfway through the beat, or step, and end on the next beat.
More often, 5-Stroke Rolls are beaten as triplet-based 32nd notes. These are tighter rolls and are generally beaten as two 5s per beat, or step.
If the beating is written in Cut Time, the rhythm is based on a quarter note triplet (see the second example). The first 5 begins just after the beat and ends on the “2” or middle of the step. The second 5 begins immediately after and ends on the “3” or next step.
If the beating is written in 2/4, the rhythm is based on an eighth note triplet (see the third example). The first 5 ends on the “&” and the second 5 ends on the “2” or next step.
The second and third example are mathematically identical and therefore performed the same. They differ only in how the notation is written out.
To learn how to play this rudiment, check out my Drum Lesson video on the 5-Stroke Roll.
Where do we see the 5-Stroke Roll in English Music?
The 5-Stroke Roll plays a significant role in both the English style and American style of playing.
5-Stroke Rolls appear as the main component of the English Reveille, The Mother and Three Camp Reveilles.
Despite their prominent use in this essential duty call, Young Drummers Assistant doesn’t list them as a lesson in his Explanation of Marks.
Of the three major American manuscripts from the 18th century (Clark, Day, and the unnamed ‘Drummer’s Book of Music’), only ‘Drummer’s Book of Music’ depicts the 5-Stroke Roll in his explanation of rudiments.
By the early-19th century, however, the 5-Stroke Roll is universally depicted. The 5-Stroke Roll is generally shown in pairs – a left-hand and right-hand roll.
Note the rolls are marked by ‘5’ throughout the manual. A ‘5’ above the staff indicates a left-hand 5, while a ‘5’ in the staff indicates a right-hand 5.
The 5-Stroke Roll is sometimes referred to as ‘Mother’ (as seen in Ashworth and Potter). This is clearly a link to the alternative name for the English Reveille: The Mother and Three Camps Reveille.
Was this rudiment often known as ‘The Mother’ (perhaps short for ‘Mother of all Rolls’), which then lent its name to the Reveille?
Or was the English Reveille known as ‘The Mother’ (perhaps a very loose connection to the European tendency to call this duty The Diane) which became attached to the 5-Stroke Roll as an extension?
5-Stroke Rolls: Use in English/American Beatings
The 5-Stroke Roll is best known for its appearance in the Three Camps Reveille, but appears prominently in Single Drag beatings and Common Time Marches.
Most commonly, 5-Stroke Rolls appear in pairs – alternating from left to right. This is certainly true in the Three Camps, but is also very common in Single Drag beatings and Common Time beatings where a double 5 closes the phrase.
In Single Drag beatings, we commonly see the phrase close with two 5s, always a left into a right.
We find this in examples like The Austrian Reveille and The Hessian Reveille in Ashworth and Rumrille.
This same phrasing often appears in Common Time Marches. Ashworth’s Common Time March is a basic example of this use.
Many common time marches of this error use Ashworth’s beating as a basic phrase and play variations on that theme. In many of them (particularly Rumrille, and some in Robinson), we find the double 5s are replaced with a “Flam + Flam + 5” movement.
While the sticking for the flams changes with different authors, the 5 is always right handed.
When 5-Stroke Rolls appear by themselves, they typically are the lead-in for a Single Drag phrase. We see this in examples like ‘Single Drag’ from Hazeltine (1817) and Robinson (1818), ‘Nancy Dawson’ and ‘Yankee Doodle Quickstep’ from Rumrille (1817).
All of these pieces show a tendency to always play these single 5s as right-handed (see examples above).
Historic 5-Stroke Roll Rhythm
Historically, it’s unlikely that English or American drummers beat simple duple, 32nd note 5-stroke rolls (counted as “&a1 &a2”). When played at slower speeds – especially 60bpm or 75bpm of the duty calls and common time marches – these rolls are uncomfortably open and awkward to keep clean.
Instead, they likely always played 5-Stroke Rolls as triplet-based, 32nd notes.
When you practice 5-Stroke Rolls, begin with the skeleton exercise below:
- Play a Sextuplet.
- Accent the first, fourth, and last strokes. (In the exercise, notice the > under those notes.)
To help understand the rhythm and/or tempo, march or march in place to the exercise.
- Begin the Sextuplet when your left foot touches the ground.
- Play the 6 strokes clean and equally. (Tip: the accented 4th stroke should match when your right foot is halfway through its step.)
- Play the final, 7th stroke when your right foot hits the ground.
Next, do the same exercise, except switch the unaccented strokes for double strokes. This will naturally create the 5-Stroke Rolls.
Where do we see the 5-Stroke Roll in French Music?
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