Whats a good way to practice my buzz rolls?

[jcreamer89]

What would be a good practice for my buzz rolls. I need to work on playing these loud and soft, because my band class requires many buzz rolls in a new piece. Should I make sure my elbows are straight with my wrist, and keep most focus on my wrist or what?

[Janeway]

Um...
Get a snare and some good sticks you like, stand in proper form, and practice them at a comfortable speed until you get them totally even. Then decrescendo slowly, hold it at the lowest point for a moment, then crescendo slowly until you get them as loud as you can with out busting up and hold it. Repeat, and make sure you keep yourself at an even tempo. Don't speed up as your strokes get lower to the head.

[Hunted By a Freak]

Develop a freer stroke that allows the stick to bounce many times, but remain under control. That's just a matter of getting a feel for rebound and experimenting with your grip/fulcrum.

[beaker_747]

You answered your own question in the thread title buddy.

[Flamacue]

Remember to use the edge of the head, about an inch radius all round from the rim, to maximise bounces mostly for softer dynamics. Head is tighter at the edge.

[Jezen]

Experiment with the different sounds attainable from different parts of the head and different pressures, and accustom yourself to them so you can draw from those different sounds when you see the application to be musically fitting.
Also get a friend (or enemy) to stand in front of you, and tell them to raise and lower there hand randomly. Make the dynamic of your roll follow the movement of their hand.

[Hunted By a Freak]

Remember to use the edge of the head, about an inch radius all round from the rim, to maximise bounces mostly for softer dynamics. Head is tighter at the edge.


Not to be pedantic, but for band and orchestra settings you will not go to the edge of the head for a soft roll. This will produce a different tone. Just play softer in the center of the head. If you are supposed to play at the edge the music will let you know.

[jcreamer89]

Um...
Get a snare and some good sticks you like, stand in proper form, and practice them at a comfortable speed until you get them totally even. Then decrescendo slowly, hold it at the lowest point for a moment, then crescendo slowly until you get them as loud as you can with out busting up and hold it. Repeat, and make sure you keep yourself at an even tempo. Don't speed up as your strokes get lower to the head.
Would practicing sitting still be make me better while standing and playing?

[jcreamer89]

Experiment with the different sounds attainable from different parts of the head and different pressures, and accustom yourself to them so you can draw from those different sounds when you see the application to be musically fitting.
Also get a friend (or enemy) to stand in front of you, and tell them to raise and lower there hand randomly. Make the dynamic of your roll follow the movement of their hand.
Cool advice.

[Hunted By a Freak]

Would practicing sitting still be make me better while standing and playing?


Practice whatever way you plan to perform it. If you are going to be in a concert standing and playing, practice it that way.

[Flamacue]

Not to be pedantic, but for band and orchestra settings you will not go to the edge of the head for a soft roll. This will produce a different tone. Just play softer in the center of the head. If you are supposed to play at the edge the music will let you know.

No worries, I don't see it as pedantic. I can't really speak for orchestral settings, I know you have experience in that field. However, I've always found near the edge a good way, ( if not the correct way in regards to orchestral playing ), to go dynamically from very soft to very loud when coming into the centre of the drum. I just watched mark wessells video on the buzz roll at vic firths and as far as I can make out, he's from a drum corps background, yet he's showing a similar thing I'm talking about at the start and end of the video, although he tends to start from around 2 inches or so from the rim and builds it towards the centre.

[Hunted By a Freak]

Well, as I said, it's a perfectly valid technique to play on the edge, but for all practical purposes in band and orchestra settings if it isn't specifically noted or widely known that the piece is played like that, you should still play in the center of the drum at all times because it allows for the best sound quality, with no distortion or unevenness. A am aware a lot of drum corps guys do this, as a lot of my notated drum corps solos have "at edge" or something similar written in at parts. But that is a completely different animal from orchestra and band stuff.

[Flamacue]

Ah, that's fair enough then.