Drum Roll Please!

“Drum Roll Please!”  That famous line is spoken just before the high dive act or any other feat of daring.

The drum roll is commonly known amongst drummers as the Buzz Roll, Press Roll or the Closed Roll.  Regardless of what you call it, every drummer needs to know how to play a smooth buzz roll.

The Buzz Roll is really fun and not too difficult. It’s a technique that sounds like you’re working really hard, but you’re not. We will be staying nice and relaxed while buzzing. 

In this video drum lesson I demonstrate the techniques to obtain the correct sound.  The approach to the drum is different than when playing singles.  We want to press the stick in to the drum.  This is the opposite of letting the stick come off the drum.  We also remove the back two fingers from the stick.  This allows the stick to buzz freely without interference from the back fingers.  Finally we want to listen closely and adjust our approach to create a smooth buzzing sound.

I will also highlight some things to watch out for to avoid bad habits.  Not keeping the sticks low enough is a common mistake.  Tension in the hands is another very common problem.  Avoiding bad habits is very important as unlearning them takes much longer.

Also I will show you how to mix the buzz roll with singles.  Combining singles and buzzes is a very effective technique.  Begin by switching  between the two after four beats of 16th notes.  Gradually begin switching back and forth with greater frequency.  It can be tricky at first as you will be altering your grip is rapid succession.  

Be sure to practice this fun technique so that you too can play a Buzz Roll that is as smooth as a buzzing bee.  Let’s get drumming!