Five Stroke Roll

What is a five stroke roll?

The Five Stroke Roll is made up of two double strokes followed by a single stroke (RRLLR or LLRRL). The basic structure is:

• Two notes with the first hand
• Two notes with the other hand
• A final single note with the first hand

In order to master this rudiment, it’s important to learn to control the transition from doubles to the single stroke and back again. Start slow and focus on:

• Even spacing between all notes
• Consistent volume through both doubles
• Clean accent on the final stroke
• Smooth motion between the doubles and single