The decline of the double stroke

John Paul Gaster...check him out. He's keeping the double stroke alive in heavy rock music.

He's the drummer for the rock band Clutch, which is just about as powerful as you can get. He's rudimentally well-versed and uses them everywhere...and pulls it off well for loud rock music.

Check out this 3/4 marching cadence on "Abraham Lincoln":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwDLB8fFsgE

Or this awesome roll-groove on "Black Umbrella":
http://www.amazon.com/Beale-Street-Oblivion-Clutch/dp/B000N3SRRC
 
I'm spending a lot of time developing powerful, clear doubles. I find that utilizing rebound isn't very hard, but it also doesn't work on most of the kit. But, it's a really good question - how often are they used in a practical setting? Should I really spend 10 minutes a day wearing out my arms?

I find them useful in tom fills, two hits left hand on the snare, two hits right on tom, two hits left on snare, two hits left on floor tom . . . stuff like that - where I really need it to come out powerfully and clean.

Doubles were the first thing I asked my teacher in Salt Lake City about last summer. I was like, "Is this right? I feel like something is wrong," and did this lazy thing - first two hits with each hand, then a hit plus a bounce, then closing it into a buzz and coming back out. I'm pretty good at doing that, but he said "I never want to see you do that again."

He busted out his metronome, turned it to 16ths at 220 and did this Joe Morello drill alternating between singles, doubles, and paradiddles for like 2 minutes without stopping - CLEAN. It all sounded the same. It was my first lesson with him and I almost fell onto the floor!

I can do it at like 150, but I haven't been able to go any faster in several months. I'm not sure what to think.
 
I'm no expert on new music being made, but it seems to me that you hardly ever hear drummers playing stuff that incorporates double strokes anymore. I guess I'm talking about most "popular" music, and excluding anything jazz here. Anyone agree with this? Double stroke fills can really make you sound like a pro if you nail them just right. I'm making an effort to use them more, when appropriate, and especially when soloing.


I use a lot of double strokes in my playing www.myspace.com/forgottenlgcy in the song forgotten legacy during the verses on the high hat, and in 2012 in fills
 
Gavin Harrison uses them a lot, and it rubbed off on my playing - I use doubles all the time now, as opposed to barely using them before I started listening to Porcupine Tree. Thankfully, I had a drum teacher that taught me to play doubles off of the drum instead of from it, which has stuck with me over the years.
 
They do something to the sound that's unique, you have to admit. Just because they're not heard, (which I contest) doesn't mean they should be left out IMO. They are always felt, would you agree?

I'd agree with that for sure. Doubles are one of the great subtleties of drumming and, although for the most part not clearly noticible to the untrained ear, can still subconciously effect the listener. It doesn't have to be identified by an audience in order to have an effect :)
 
He busted out his metronome, turned it to 16ths at 220 and did this Joe Morello drill alternating between singles, doubles, and paradiddles for like 2 minutes without stopping - CLEAN. It all sounded the same.

Same thing here - I was always taught that my doubles, singles, or diddles should not be distinguishable...
 
Same thing here - I was always taught that my doubles, singles, or diddles should not be distinguishable...

Exactly how it should be. You should not be able to tell if it's a single or a double without seeing what's being played. I mix them in all over the place. They are alive and well.
 
I do not think technique is in decline. If anything, drummers are becoming more technical by the minute.

Sure, you will not hear advanced technical stuff on a Britney song, but if you pick up a Britney song to hear advanced technical drumming you need to see a shrink.
 
I play lots of them on snare and hats in particular, always prefer singles on the other drums for the articulation.

Relaxed doubles with great quality where both notes speak well require great finger control which takes a while to develop. That's probably another reason you don't see them played too often.

They have a flavor all their own and can be shaped uniquely, I love me some doubles!
 
I do not think technique is in decline. If anything, drummers are becoming more technical by the minute.

Sure, you will not hear advanced technical stuff on a Britney song, but if you pick up a Britney song to hear advanced technical drumming you need to see a shrink.

HAHAHAHA.....

That was funny.
 
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