Over the years as a band director I have had hundreds of students participate in the percussion sections of my groups. I have discovered that most students can become quite competent in understanding basic rhythms, and can follow a sheet of music without too much trouble. However, when checked on their rudiments, I find that 50% of them will fall short on competence in execution. Of all the various rudiments, the one that I find weakest in the greatest number of students, is the smooth, or closed roll. This article will offer suggestions on improving your closed roll, and 2 things in particular that can help right away.
If you are not totally familiar with rudiment terms, and drum roll expressions, the closed roll, sometimes referred to as a smooth roll, is the one everybody generally thinks about when you say drum roll. It's the roll that has a buzz type sound, with no real sense of individual taps. You know; when a person is about to perform a stunt, and as the audience waits, you hear "drum roll please" and then the roll begins. Well, that's the smooth or closed roll we're talking about. There are a number of ways to work on and perfect this roll, so don't think that this is the only path to a better sounding roll.
To start you want to develop some flexibility in your hands. To do this start to develop what is called a single stroke roll. A single stroke roll is not really a roll as you know it, but a repetitive pattern of one stick after the other. Start medium slow, and most importantly, keep the beat as even as possible. Think of the sound that a machine gun has. It's a repetitive sound with a steady pulse. You don't hear skips or short pauses. That's what the single stroke roll should sound like. Now, speed it up little by little. make sure that no matter how fast you play the pulse is perfectly even sounding.
The second thing to do is to develop your double stroke roll. Again, this is not a typical sounding roll either. It should sound the same as the single stroke roll, however, you will play two strokes on one stick before switching sticks. Then you play two strokes on the other stick. This pattern is repeated over and over, two strokes on the right, two strokes on the left, then right, left, right, etc..
If you work on these two rudiments carefully, developing the speed little by little, then you will be ready to move right into the smooth, or closed roll. It will start to come naturally and your hands will be more adept. Good luck, and keep practicing!

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