Nine Stroke Roll

Learn How To Play The Nine Stroke Roll

The nine stroke roll is very similar to the five stroke roll and seven stroke roll. Like these other two rudiments, the nine stroke roll combines a series of double strokes with one single stroke to create an odd-numbered string of notes. This combination is less popular than the other two rudiments, but it's still a great addition to your drumming arsenal. Here is what it looks like when written out in standard drum notation:

Now, if you have been practicing the drum rudiments in order, you'll really want to focus on keeping the repetition of the double strokes right. It's likely that you will be used to the five and seven stroke rolls, and so it can be easy to accidentaly switch between playing them while you are repeating the nine stroke roll. Keep this in mind, and start out slowly until you have the pattern memorized.

Nine Stroke Roll - Drum Set Exercises

Here is a simple exercise that incorporates the nine stroke roll into a drum beat:

The third and final exercise impliments the nine stroke roll into a drum fill:

Once you are finished practicing this rudiment - move on to either the ten stroke roll or the eleven stroke roll.