The double stroke roll is a straight forward rudiment that involves playing two even strokes with each hand over a set note value. This has been applied as crotchets, quavers and semi quavers within many different time signatures and in this lesson you will be switching this to 9/8. If you have covered the 4/4 version of this lesson the exercises given here will be much easier and you can find this linked at the bottom of the page. The intention with this lesson is more about familiarizing you with the new time signature and how the double stroke sticking feels within it.
Unlike 4/4, the time signature of 9/8 can be described as 'compound' and it is the 8 at the bottom that tells you this. That means that all notes are most commonly grouped into blocks of 3 or 6 and you get three dotted crotchets worth of note values for every bar. I have included links to more detailed lessons on this subject at the bottom of the page. A double stroke roll is a four stroke pattern, so doesn't fit comfortably in each bar. If you scan through the list of stickings below, you will notice that in some cases I have shown multiple bars worth of the rudiment and often each bar starts with a different hand. This represents the minimum number of times the rudiment can be played so that it starts again on the first right hand of the rudiments sticking. Once you start playing through the exercises this will make more sense.
Listed below are two versions of the double stroke applied to the time signature of 9/8 at played across two different rhythms. Both standard and reverse sticking has been applied, be sure to apply both.
Exercise 1
A Double Stroke Roll in 9/8 as quavers. The pattern needs to be played over four bars to end in a comfortable place. Notice that in some cases the double stroke is split over the bar line.
Exercise 2
A Double Stroke Roll in 9/8 as semi quavers. The pattern needs to be played over two bars to end comfortable but there are no doubles over the bar line this time.
Tasks
- Learn the three patterns up to a temp of at least 130bpm.
- Add feet to the parts.
- Orchestrate the parts.
- Apply the sticking to other time signatures.
- Apply different rudiment stickings in 9/8.
