The 7-Stroke Roll is a variation of the Double Stroke Roll, in which the drummer beats 2 strokes on the left hand, 2 strokes on the right hand, 2 strokes on the left hand, and a final (typically hard) stroke on the right hand.
They are played:
Note: 7-Stroke Rolls can be played on the Right Hand as well (RR-LL-RR-L). This is historically never done, but is a modern practice.
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, time period, and time signature, they can have different rhythms.
In Common Time, the typical historic interpretation is a triplet-based 32nd note roll (see the second example above). The roll begins on the “&” of the beat, or half-way through a step, and is played as a tight roll.
The first Common Time example is generally found in modern music and sometimes is necessary when playing at very fast tempos.
In Compound Time (6/8 and 3/8), there are two common interpretations of the 7-Stroke Roll. Most often, you hear the duple-based 32nd note version (see the third example above). This is mathematically the same as the second example. It will also begin in the middle of the beat (half-way through a step).
While the third example is the most common performance of the roll, you will often see the roll notated as in example four. This roll begins on the “nee” or 3rd beat of the triplet and must therefore be condensed into an eighth note triplet. This performance is atypical in Fife & Drum corps because of the very tight nature of the roll, but can be performed effectively at low tempos (such as a Short Troop beaten at 60bpm).
To learn how to play this rudiment, check out my Drum Lesson videos on the 7-Stroke Roll.
Historic Drumming Lesson 7 | Drum Rudiment 7-Stroke Roll
Historic Drumming Lesson 20 | Drum Rudiment 7-Stroke Roll, Advanced Lesson
Where do we see the 7-Stroke Roll in English Music?
The 7-Stroke Roll forms the foundation of most English and American drum beatings and is aptly thought of the most significant roll for new drummers to this style to learn.
The earliest English/Scottish record of the 7-Stroke Roll appears as a unique rudiment in Young Drummers Assistant (c1780).
Notice that the rolls is written as beginning with the left hand and ending with the right. This is quintessential of the English / early-American style (10s, 11s, and 15s likewise always beginning with the left and end with the right).
Potter (1815) includes the 7-Stroke Roll as his second rudiment of instruction, immediately following the Double Stroke Roll – highlighting its importance in this style.
This is also true of Issac Day’s MS (c1797) and Levi Lovering’s The Drummers Assistant for the Art of Drumming (1818). The 7-Stroke Roll is included in all the late-18th and early-19th century drum manuals that include a list of rudiments.
The 7-Stroke Roll does not appear in many English / American duty calls. It’s used in the second half of The General, the second half of the Grenadiers March, and The Roast Beef.
The 7-Stroke Roll shines, however, as the main roll in English marches, troops, and quicksteps.
Where do we see the 7-Stroke Roll in Scottish Music?
While the 7-Stroke Roll is not well used in English or American duty calls, it’s used somewhat commonly in the Scottish beatings.
Based on Young Drummers Assistant and the ‘Drum Beatings’ MS, we know that the 7-Stroke Roll was used extensively in the Scottish Reveille. It’s also used in the Drums Call, the General, and the Grenadiers March.
Want to learn more about the Scottish Reveille.
Unfortunately, by the early-19th century, the English and Scottish departments merge into a united British army. At this time, the music is also consolidated. It appears that most of the Scottish music is discarded in favor of the English versions, leaving only the Scottish Reveille to survive into the 19th century.
7-Stroke Rolls in Modern Bagpipe Muisc
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Where do we see the 7-Stroke Roll in French Music?
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