Seventeen Stroke Roll

PAS rudiment #15 · Roll rudiments

What it is

Eight doubles and a release: the longest of the standard numbered rolls, spanning two full beats into a downbeat accent.

How to practice it

This is roll endurance. Play it as continuous 16th note doubles for two beats and land the accent on beat three. Then do it again leading left. If your forearms tense up before the release, drop the tempo and rebuild. Tension you groove into long rolls follows you everywhere.

Where you'll hear it

Long crescendo rolls in concert band, marching literature, and anywhere a sustained snare roll needs a written length.