Power drumrolls in traditional grip

[Wernervonwaltsleben]

Hey everyone.
I discovered one bump now in the road.i play in a rock band now but i play traditional grip.
i practice fast rolls, everything is cool but just want to make sure...doing rock fills in traditional grip, i do the dave weckl thing by doing the kinda freestrock(ball bounce) when i roll and open my left hand up.if i do realy fast rolls over a certain bpm..should i close my hand up and use wrists over the toms etc.cause theres not as much rebound on toms as on snare.
plz help.
thanx

[robertondrums]

Hi, I play in traditional grip and match. When I'm doing rolls I tend to close my grip up and some times hold the stick tighter depending on the rebound of the surface. If the roll is a powerful roll (large motion) as you get faster you should start to use more of your arms and elbows this helps with me on the toms. However if the roll requires a smaller motion (as in the sticks rebounding closer to the head) you should use more of your rists and fingers,this is good for fast rolls although difficult to do on the floor toms. Check out Jojo Mayers dvd he decribes the proper grip to be used and how to use it. After a while you automatically change the way you play the roll to adapt to the surface. Practise tightening your grip and losening it and see which one feels the best for you around the kit.

Robertondrums

[Joe P]

You just need to strengthen those control muscles. Try using corps sticks for practice (on a pad, not on drums... it'll break the head very easily). A good exercise for those muscles is to hold a roll with those heavier sticks for a long time (6-8 minutes) at varying dynamics, but similar tempos. Like, get pianissimo and gradually crescendo to fortissimo, and back again. This helps with not only the strength of these muscles needed to have a good strong roll, but also with precision.