The 9-Stroke Roll is a variation of the Double Stroke Roll, in which the drummer beats 2 strokes on one hand, 2 strokes on the next hand, 2 strokes on the first hand, 2 strokes on the second hand, and a final (typically hard) stroke on the first hand.
They are played:
Note: At faster tempos, 9-Stroke Rolls are typically alternated, as seen in the sticking above.
At slower tempos, one hand might be preferred, depending on the nationality.
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.
9-Stroke Rolls can be performed “slowly” as duple-based, 32nd notes (see the first example above). These are counted “1e&a 2”. They begin on the first beat and end on the second beat. This is the typical modern march rhythm for 9-stroke rolls. It was likely not a common performance, since this rhythm is awkward at the slower 18th century tempos of 60bpm and 75bpm.
Instead, historically 9-Stroke Rolls were typically played in 2/4 as triplet-based 32nd notes (see the second and third examples above). The second example matches the accepted interpretation of the 9-Stroke Rolls in the English Drummer’s Call. Beaten this way, the 9-Stroke Roll commences on the beat, is played tightly, and ends just before the next beat.
In Compound Time (6/8), 9-Stroke Rolls are also performed as triplet-based 32nd notes. They occasionally appear commencing on the beat (see the fourth example). Most often, then appear as leading to the beat (see the fifth example).
To learn how to play this rudiment, check out my Drum Lesson videos on the 9-Stroke Roll.
Where do we see the 9-Stroke Roll in English Music?
The earliest English/Scottish record of the 9-Stroke Roll appears as a unique rudiment in Young Drummers Assistant (c1780).
The 9-Stroke Roll appears in only one English Duty Call, “Drummers Call”. The accepted interpretation shows these 9s beaten in 2/4 as triplet-based 32nd notes beginning on the beat. The 9s are followed immediately by a flam, creating the impression of a 10-Stroke Roll.
Learning more about the English Drummer’s Call, including function, performance, and interpretation.
In early-19th century manuals, the 9-Stroke Roll is generally described in the opening under the lessons, or explanation of rudiments.
Both Ashworth and Rumrille use them in the Drummers Call, with the same rhythm as Young Drummers Assistant. (Potter’s British manual switches the rolls to 11-Stroke Rolls.)
They also used 9-Stroke Rolls in this triplet-rhythm in The Grenadier’s March Rolling / On the Roll.
We can similarly interpret these rolls as 32nd note triplets, though these rolls appear to lead into the beat, unlike Drummers Call where the 9s are within the beat (see below).
9-Stroke Rolls in Double Drag Beatings
9-Stroke Rolls appear most commonly in Double Drag beatings within the American style.
The three major American manuscripts from the 18th century (Clark, Day, and the unnamed ‘Drummer’s Book of Music’) use 9-Stroke Rolls in their double drag beatings. Day and ‘Drummer’s Book of Music’ also list this rudiment in their initial lessons.
In Double Drag beatings, 9-Stroke Rolls are typically used as a lead-in roll at the beginning of phrases. Because all three manuscripts use a version of Up-Down notation to indicate sticking, we know that lead-in 9-Stroke Rolls all began with the left hand. This matches the British and American ‘Drummers Call’.
Another common phrase is three 9-Stroke Rolls beaten in a row, followed by a Double Drag. In this instance, the 9s are alternated, but the first is still a left hand.
These rules are true in early-19th century manuals as well, as seen in Lovering’s The Art of Drumming (1818) and Rumrille’s The Drummer’s Instructor (1817).
Here are the typical Double Drag phrases that use 9-Stroke Rolls:
The first example is the standard, base phrase in Double Drag beatings.
The second example is often found as the middle or third phrase in a Double Drag beating, in both Lines A and B.
The third example is generally found in Line B, usually as the first and second phrase.
The final three examples are all the ending phrases. The 9-Stroke Roll leads into a ratamacue (a 4-stroke ruff performed as a triplet). Depending on the beating, there might be 1, 2, or 3 single ratamacues following the 9-Stroke Roll.
Learn more about the other rudiments in Double Drag beatings:
Where do we see the 9-Stroke Roll in French Music?
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