Seventeen Stroke Roll

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Learn How To Play The Seventeen Stroke Roll

The seventeen stroke roll is the longest roll-based drum rudiment. As with the five stroke, seven stroke, nine stroke, eleven stroke, thirteen stroke, and fifteen stroke roll - this rudiment is based on double stroke ending with one single stroke. Like these other rudiments, it's great for a wide variety of drum fills and solo patterns. Here is what it looks like when written out in standard drum notation:

As you can see above, this rudiment includes eight alternating doubles that end with one single stroke. It is written out here in right hand lead, but you can easily alternate the sticking to play it as left hand lead. Either way, it's a great rudiment for use within drum fills around the kit. Try the patterns below for some ideas.

Seventeen Stroke Roll - Drum Set Exercises

Here is a two-bar beat that incorporates the seventeen stroke roll:

Here is a tom-tom drum fill that incorporates the seventeen stroke roll:

Once you are done with this drum rudiment, you can move on to the various flam rudiments, including: basic flam, flam accent, flam tap, flamacue, single flammed mill, flam paradiddle, flam paradiddle-diddle, and more!

Learn how to play all 40 drum rudiments with the Drumming System by Mike Michalkow!