Playing fast single stroke rolls separates the pros from the pretenders. And to an audience, it is a magical skill. How did he do that??
There are a few things you need to do for fast (and smooth) single stroke rolls. A lot of younger players think that all you have to do is blast the sticks down onto the playing surface as fast as you can. Wrong. That will sound like you barfed all over your drum. Gross. We definitely don’t want that.
The secret is this: 1) staying loose; 2) knowing at what point to switch your mechanics up (arms/wrist/fingers); and 3) controlling and keeping your check hand in time with your tempo whether it is just in your own head or within an ensemble.
This exercise below will help you do all three things. Watch the video below for more explanation.
The grooveKSQ Singles Chall... by Bryan Tuk on Scribd