Press rolls

davidr

Senior Member
Since there seems to be a lot of wisdom on this forum, I'm guessing somebody might be able to advise me on press rolls. I'm not sure if I'm doing the roll right because I basically just do very quick double-stroke rolls but it never sounds quite as fluid as I want, which is like one long sound. Does anyone have any advice on this elusive technique?
 
Practice double stroke rolls very slowly at different heights and do this forever. Whilst doing this, think about pressure control and the fulcrum. Let the drum do the work and think musical. Work out the stickings from the 40 pasic rudiments and do this forever. It will come. Press rolls are best experienced by old New Orleans dudes. They have done it forever.
 
Drop the sticks to the knuckles behind the finger nails. It's hard to get a tight buzz with them high in the hand. Both hands have to produce an even tone for it to sound good. Work on both right and left hand lead.
 
I treat press rolls like a single stroke roll except that each single stroke is pressed into the head, creating multiple (4 or 5 indistinct) bounces, which are very low (1/2 to 1 inch). I play it in triplet phrasing or 16th note phrasing depending on which works best for the song.
Basically, I'm digging my sticks into the head. A good press roll is the most versatile fill in my opinion, it always sounds good.
 
I treat press rolls like a single stroke roll except that each single stroke is pressed into the head, creating multiple (4 or 5 indistinct) bounces, which are very low (1/2 to 1 inch). I play it in triplet phrasing or 16th note phrasing depending on which works best for the song.
Basically, I'm digging my sticks into the head. A good press roll is the most versatile fill in my opinion, it always sounds good.

You sure get yours sounding good, Larry. I remember a particularly sweet crush roll you did in one of the songs you posted.

I'm pretty cautious with crush rolls because the groove is suspended when you play them but when they are done cleanly they can be a tasty refrain.
 
Pollyanna what do you mean by a crush roll? Is this the same as a buzz/closed/multiple bounce/press roll?

Davidr

The press roll is designed to allow the drummer to play a legato sound and a held note. So the object is to make them as smooth as possible. You are getting multiple bounces with each stroke.
Attached is a way to develop the press roll.

It's not perfect but I hope it helps.

Cheers

Dave
 

Attachments

  • pressroll exercise.mp3
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if you don't mind cheating a little bit, it helps to play them not right in the center of the head, because the drum gets less articulate and blends notes together more as you move towards the rim.
 
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All of the advice given here is great, so just to paraphrase: the press roll has similarities with both e single stroke (it is always played with alternating hands), AND with double strokes (several bounces per stroke). A good way of practicing it is to start quite slowly, concentrating on getting as many bounces per stroke as possible. and I quote Joe Morello from memory: "eventhough the roll will not sound smooth at slower tempos, this will increase the eventual quality of your press roll".

So, you purpusefully place yourself at a disadvantage by playing it slower, only to then reap the benefits of your frustration later on, as you are able to produce a smooth roll at the slowest possible speed. This will make the faster executed rolls sound even better.

Quoting Jim Blackley: concentrate on making the buzz notes, played strictly in time, blend in with each other. I practice these on the pad, since this is a further disadvantage, so to speak: you will only hear the actual bounces. Now, when you move to the snare, you get much more mileage from the snares buzzing after the stroke.

Casper
 
It helps to tension the bottom head and snare strainer low, use a large amount of wires and play one the edges of the head. Then you can make double rolls sound like a buzz.
 
A good press roll is the most versatile fill in my opinion, it always sounds good.

Exactly why I want them on tap. I guess starting slow with multiple bounce singles and just building up. Thanks for the advice everyone
 
On what tempo and with which subdivision the buzz should be starting to sound like a one continuous roll? Or can it happen on any tempo if you just have enough control? What part of your hand are you using to make the initial throw of the stick? I have been playing around with this a bit and I find myself using almost whole arm movement for the initial strokes and it has to be quite fast for it to really sound like a continuous roll.
 
I'm pretty cautious with crush rolls because the groove is suspended when you play them but when they are done cleanly they can be a tasty refrain.

Hmm you think the groove gets suspended....as long as your bass player is chugging along, I have to disagree. Sometimes you just have to trust that the others will hold it together. Being secure that the time feel will go unchanged is a prerequisite for going for a press roll, plus, if necessary you can subtly "pulse" the roll (if it's long enough) to ensure the integrity of the quarter note (or whatever) pulse...Gotta have a little faith and security in the other guys. Plus it's good practice for them to "be responsible" for the time. Makes for a tighter band.
 
Hmm you think the groove gets suspended....as long as your bass player is chugging along, I have to disagree. Sometimes you just have to trust that the others will hold it together. Being secure that the time feel will go unchanged is a prerequisite for going for a press roll, plus, if necessary you can subtly "pulse" the roll (if it's long enough) to ensure the integrity of the quarter note (or whatever) pulse...Gotta have a little faith and security in the other guys. Plus it's good practice for them to "be responsible" for the time. Makes for a tighter band.

True enough, but the intensity of the groove is reduced when they are being played.

Dave M, sure I've heard it called a crush roll, press roll, buzz roll, closed roll.
 
Hi

Polly, cheers i thought it might have been something different like when you press both sticks into the head at the same time. benny greb does that in one of the hudson trailers.

JPW. it should sound like one note at all tempos. for instance @60 bpm i'd play 32nds but at 100 i might play 16th note triplets. Whatever fits.

Dave
 
Dave is right: you have to change meters depending on the tempo to get a smooth roll. That said, a technique I use - as do many symphonic players - is to learn to simply play your roll at whatever rate of speed feels comfortable, but then be able to speed it up slightly at the end in order to come out on the correct hand or hit a tap/accent/whathaveyou. If I've got a lot of long rolls, I'll often use the latter. If I'm playing in a groove context and playing short rolls, I usually use a specific meter related to the music I'm playing.
 
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