Lesson 5: How to play Single Stroke?

How to play Single Stroke?

Single stroke is essential in drumming, there is no running away from it! The Single Stroke is the most common drum rudiment there is. Find out how to play and practice varying types of Single Strokes in the video above!

Sticking for the Single Stroke roll

The notations above shows which hand Is playing which note. To play the Single Stroke, you use alternating hands, hitting your drum in the order of Right hand, Left hand, Right hand, etc.

3 forms of Single Stroke that you can vary your Single Strokes with:

1. Full Stroke
   Played with a wrist angle of 90 degrees or more. The Full Stroke produces the loudest sound.

2. Half Stroke
   Played with a wrist angle of 45 degrees or more. The Half Stroke is softer than Full Stroke.

3. Ghost notes
   Played with a wrist angle of below 45 degrees. Playing Ghost Notes produces the softest sound.

2 ways to practice your single stroke

1. By going from slow to fast and fast to slow when playing any form of Single Stroke

2. By alternating between the different forms of Single Stroke
   e.g. Full Stroke > Half Stroke > Ghost Notes > Half Stroke > Full Stroke

Stay tuned for our next Drum Lesson which will be on Double Stroke!