Multiple bounce roll technique

Auspicious

Silver Member
Hello, I am pre-examining this with a thread this morning, it's about the right hand on the snare drum, to produce a nice buzz roll or multiple bounce roll.

Previously it was about strokes for the doubles and the importance of using the fingers, creating even doubles, the open close technique and etc.

Now with buzzes, what do you think about the use of fingers in the process, do you use a lot of fingers to produce your buzzes and/ or do you keep the fingers on the stick all the time like to play buzzes?
 
While I'm an advocate of using all my fingers on the stick as much as possible, for multiple bounce...or "crush" rolls...I only use my thumb and index finger. I create a pivot point with just those 2 digits, and I crush the stick into the head as unclean as I can. As much slop as I can get from it. Any more digits on the stick other than 2 inhibits the sticks natural inclination to multiple bounce.

So pinch the stick and crush the stick into the head, alternating hands. That's how I do it.

Try to blend the sound of each hand with the sound of the other for that seamless effect
 
All of the above. It depends on what is being done. Are you doing a consistent roll? Ghost notes? Is this part of a bigger fill?

You can pinch the thumb and forefinger together to create the bounce. You can press the stick into the head to create the bounce using wrists and arms. You can make a loop with your thumb and forefinger and use back fingers to create the bounce.

Like most everything else, there are multiple ways to bounce the stick. Be prepared for numerous answers.
 
Yep it's about letting the stick do the work-so I do like Larry and pinch stick between thumb and index (though finger next to index does play into it) and press into the head-you can also just let it drag multiple bounce like Jo Jo and jazz snare comping-I love that because you can let it decay or keep it an even tempo drag buzz. I use American but been in a French kick lately. If you ever watch me play I do lots of one handed buzz rolls and drag rolls with my snare left hand (usually I do those near edge) -I over do it at times. I also do a single handed roll that is a really a single hit followed by triplet but it sounds like a single stroke roll because how it evens out continuously going (bounce control and it has that agitation motion with wrist that pumps it but I use low stick heights unlike blasters). I'd play with what works for you getting the most bounce for your effort-and I think it's more getting out of the way of the stick and let it build a momentum and action for multiple strokes. Here is an old video of mine to a drumless track that I filled with accent drags, buzzes and rolls with my left snare hand. Like too much so like I say I can get carried away with it I should name it "Kind of a drag" ROFL.
 
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Hello, I am pre-examining this with a thread this morning, it's about the right hand on the snare drum, to produce a nice buzz roll or multiple bounce roll.

Previously it was about strokes for the doubles and the importance of using the fingers, creating even doubles, the open close technique and etc.

Now with buzzes, what do you think about the use of fingers in the process, do you use a lot of fingers to produce your buzzes and/ or do you keep the fingers on the stick all the time like to play buzzes?
Here's a couple of my demo's.
 
Sooooo…..squeezing the stick tightly is absolutely not the correct method for this. One of the best things I’ve found to improve my buzz rolls is to play paradiddles with triple stroke and quadruple stroke pickups to each paradiddle, like a flamadiddle, but with more notes. Sticking would be LLL R-L-R-R for the triple, and just add another L for the quadruple. You can also do this without the paradiddle, just alternate as if you’re playing drags or flams, but doing triples and quads.

It takes a while to get a good buzz roll going, it’s one of the hardest things in drumming. Just be patient with the process.
 
Doesnt mean its wrong.

why use a completely different method to play buzz rolls? What’s the upside? That’s not even practical if you’re playing a piece that has a lot of very short buzz rolls combined with fast singles. I’m just advocating the most physically effortless method.
 
Sooooo…..squeezing the stick tightly is absolutely not the correct method for this. One of the best things I’ve found to improve my buzz rolls is to play paradiddles with triple stroke and quadruple stroke pickups to each paradiddle, like a flamadiddle, but with more notes. Sticking would be LLL R-L-R-R for the triple, and just add another L for the quadruple. You can also do this without the paradiddle, just alternate as if you’re playing drags or flams, but doing triples and quads.

It takes a while to get a good buzz roll going, it’s one of the hardest things in drumming. Just be patient with the process.
But, but, but...it doesn't hurt me and I get a great sounding smooth roll that I can easily control the dynamics of. What's the problem again?

Your suggestion is just way too complicated for me. I don't even know what you are talking about TBH.

I think the buzz roll is one of the easier things to do ha ha

Clearly, we're on different pages here my friend.
 
why use a completely different method to play buzz rolls? What’s the upside? That’s not even practical if you’re playing a piece that has a lot of very short buzz rolls combined with fast singles. I’m just advocating the most physically effortless method.
That's what I learned. I've been using it for almost 30 years. It's not any more effort, and it's totally practical. The fingers dont change their position on the stick, only pressure applied. I can go from singles to doubles to closed doubles without changing anything besides pressure and and how much fingers I use.
 
But, but, but...it doesn't hurt me and I get a great sounding smooth roll that I can easily control the dynamics of. What's the problem again?

Your suggestion is just way too complicated for me. I don't even know what you are talking about TBH.

I think the buzz roll is one of the easier things to do ha ha

Clearly, we're on different pages here my friend.

it’s not practical for passages with a lot of short buzz rolls combined with fast singles. And I assure you, if you try this method for minutes on end, your hands will tire out quickly.

I’m more than happy to post a video of what I’m talking about.
 
Between 3:20 and 3:30, the "essence of drumming" as Ted puts it. You can see the hands never change grip. And Ted's buzz roll is flawless.

 
Between 3:20 and 3:30, the "essence of drumming" as Ted puts it. You can see the hands never change grip. And Ted's buzz roll is flawless.


a jazz-style buzz roll is a different creature than what conductors are listening for in a concert/orchestral setting. But I’m still not sure what your point is. I’m advocating a middle-finger fulcrum that doesn’t change when you play a buzz roll.
 
a jazz-style buzz roll is a different creature than what conductors are listening for in a concert/orchestral setting.
So that makes an orchestral buzz roll better some how? @Auspicious wants to be a jazz drummer, whats the problem?

But I’m still not sure what your point is. I’m advocating a middle-finger fulcrum that doesn’t change when you play a buzz roll.
The point is the same, the hands/fingers/fulcrum dont change. The only thing that changes is pressure. I'm not employing some form of weirdness to do a buzz roll. I'm not insinuating ham fisting and pressing either. No one is employing that.
 
So that makes an orchestral buzz roll better some how? @Auspicious wants to be a jazz drummer, whats the problem?


The point is the same, the hands/fingers/fulcrum dont change. The only thing that changes is pressure. I'm not employing some form of weirdness to do a buzz roll. I'm not insinuating ham fisting and pressing either. No one is employing that.

Conductors don’t like the jazz whipped-cream roll, at least louder than mezzo piano (pretty quiet) volume. It’s too much of a departure from the single stroke sound of a snare drum. Not that a jazz roll is bad, it just doesn’t fit the style. And it’s hard to do a whipped-cream roll above a certain volume, which also limits its usefulness, because there are some LOUD, long buzz rolls in the orchestral repertoire.

my point about pressure is that it will tire your hands out and create unnecessary tension. That tension can last even when you’re not rolling, if you’re not careful
 
Conductors don’t like the jazz whipped-cream roll, at least louder than mezzo piano (pretty quiet) volume. It’s too much of a departure from the single stroke sound of a snare drum. Not that a jazz roll is bad, it just doesn’t fit the style. And it’s hard to do a whipped-cream roll above a certain volume, which also limits its usefulness, because there are some LOUD, long buzz rolls in the orchestral repertoire.

my point about pressure is that it will tire your hands out and create unnecessary tension. That tension can last even when you’re not rolling, if you’re not careful
Okay I get the difference. I think @Auspicious is more after the how and not the what though. I do see what you are saying.

The pressure I'm talking about, it's only working that little muscle above the webbing between your thumb and forefinger. It's not a whole hand squeeze, just a pinch with the two fingers. Only enough pressure to keep the bounce low.
 
Okay I get the difference. I think @Auspicious is more after the how and not the what though. I do see what you are saying.

The pressure I'm talking about, it's only working that little muscle above the webbing between your thumb and forefinger. It's not a whole hand squeeze, just a pinch with the two fingers. Only enough pressure to keep the bounce low.

I absolutely know which muscle, and a lot of people overwork it when they play rolls.
 
I absolutely know which muscle, and a lot of people overwork it when they play rolls.
But that's a person thing, not a wrong technique thing. Straining too hard when pooping is bad too, but whose gonna tell someone they are pooping wrong?

EDIT: What I'm trying to say here is you can hold the stick correctly but still squeeze it too hard. That's the person's fault.
 
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