Rolls, Rolls, Rolls

Rothman, Joel

General Info

Year: 1967
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Rothman
Cost: Book Cost - $17.95   |   Supplemental Books - $0.00

Reviews

Student Reviews

This book is almost exclusively used to learn and practice efficient roll technique. There is a preface to this book where Joel Rothman expresses his goal of writing this book to have a final goal of the student to efficiently play in 4/4, 6/8, and cut time. He then explains that there are two ideas presented when playing rolls, the closed and open, he then describes briefly how to approach them. This book is excellent in the idea that one measure will contain a series of 16th notes, and then the following measure will reflect it, but with rolls. Before each new section where a new roll idea is introduced, there is a short explanation of the notation and how to read it as a roll. There are two downfalls to this book, the first is that while the author explains in the preface that the metronome markings are approximate to achieve successful closed rolls, several (if not all) are too fast, they are good 'final goals' to achieve but overall, the metronome markings are too fast. There are also no dynamics (while an advanced player might incorporate his own dynamic markings for practice, a student may not make that connection) the author provides that this book is most effective when used in conjunction with Musical Studies for the Intermediate Snare Drummer and Intermediate Duets for Snare Drum. -Trevor Landreth; Emporia State University

Organization: After a length preface on the front cover of the book, nine-stroke rolls are immediately introduced, with no presence of a table of contents or index. Roll exercises are progressed by whole, half, quarter, and eighth note rolls on the up and downbeat. Mixed meter and varying tempos are introduced later in the end pages of the book, with a resume of some kind being presented at the end of the book, seemingly revisiting types of rolls discussed earlier in the book.

Content: Most of the exercises seem to work on rolls quite a bit, but there is not really a thorough explanation of rolls and how to perform one. There is a distinction made between a buzz/multiple bounce roll and a roll utilizing double strokes, but no real explanation of how to perform either roll which is surprising considering the nature of the book. It should also be noted that there are no tempo markings on any of the etudes, in terms of BPM or tempo direction which can make performing certain rolls harder than necessary.

Uses: This book would be good for a middle school to high school-level student to use to practice rolls. Most of the exercises in this book may be too simple or not complex enough to properly challenge a college-level student, at least in an orchestral context when approaching rolls. For preparation in a concert band or marching band, this etude book will give students enough material to know what to do when encountering rolls in musical compositions.

Rating: While there are plenty of roll exercises in this book that will provide good rudimental exercise for a student, there is hardly any explanation on rolls themselves and the execution of them. Without introducing concepts such as roll bases, how to perform a double stroke roll, refining multiple bounce rolls, or playing zones on a snare drum, much more is left up to the instructor to teach regarding rolls than the book provides. 2/5. User:Hondogracias

Works for Percussion by this Author

Rothman, Joel. A Quartet of Recipes Around the Drums. Joel Rothman Pub., 1976.
Rothman, Joel. Artificial Technique. Joel Rothman Pub., 1976.
Rothman, Joel. Basic Drumming Joel Rothman Pub., 1983.
Rothman, Joel. Basic Rock Beats. Joel Rothman Pub., 1971.
Rothman, Joel. Coordinated Rock Breaks Phrased in Three. Joel Rothman Pub., 1973.
Rothman, Joel. Coordination Patterns with a Dotted 1/8 Note Cymbal Beat. Joel Rothman Pub., 1974.
Rothman, Joel. Coordination Patterns with Eighth-Note Triplets. Joel Rothman Pub., 1970.
Rothman, Joel. Coordination Patterns with Hi-hat and Bass Drum. Joel Rothman Pub., 1972.
Rothman, Joel. Coordination Patterns with Sixteenth-Notes. Joel Rothman Pub., 1970.
Rothman, Joel. Dynamic Control. Joel Rothman Pub., 1976.
Rothman, Joel. Fun with Triplets!!!. Joel Rothman Pub., 1968.
Rothman, Joel. Hand-Foot Solo Patterns. Joel Rothman Pub., 1976.
Rothman, Joel. Independent Thinking. Joel Rothman Pub., 1966.
Rothman, Joel. NaJazz Around the Drumsme. Joel Rothman Pub., 1976.
Rothman, Joel. Jazz Coordinated Drum Breaks. Joel Rothman Pub., 19--.
Rothman, Joel. Just Another Rock Book. Joel Rothman Pub., 1972.
Rothman, Joel. Left Hand Control. Joel Rothman Pub., 1972.
Rothman, Joel. Left Hand Rock Breaks. Joel Rothman Pub., 1972.
Rothman, Joel. Let's Warm-Up. Joel Rothman Pub., 1964.
Rothman, Joel. Mixing Meters. Joel Rothman Pub., 1964.
Rothman, Joel. New Testament of Technique. Joel Rothman Pub., 1969.
Rothman, Joel. Paradiddle Rock. Joel Rothman Pub., 1984.
Rothman, Joel. Phrasing Rock Breaks. Joel Rothman Pub., 1972.
Rothman, Joel. Pure Co-ordination for all Musicians. Joel Rothman Pub., 1967.
Rothman, Joel. Reading and Rolling in Cut Time. Joel Rothman Pub., 1973.
Rothman, Joel. Reading Can Be Odd. Joel Rothman Pub., 1963.
Rothman, Joel. Recipes with Doubles Around the Drums. Joel Rothman Pub., 1974.
Rothman, Joel. Recipes with Singles Around the Drums. Joel Rothman Pub., 1974.
Rothman, Joel. Rhythmic Technique. Joel Rothman Pub., 1973.
Rothman, Joel. Rock Breaks with Thirty-Second Notes. Joel Rothman Pub., 1972.
Rothman, Joel. Rock Drum Solos. Joel Rothman Pub., 1984.
Rothman, Joel. Rock 'n Rolls. Joel Rothman Pub., 1974.
Rothman, Joel. Rock Reader. Joel Rothman Pub., 1970.
Rothman, Joel. Rockbreaks in a Nutshell. Joel Rothman Pub., 1976.
Rothman, Joel. Roll Etudes. Joel Rothman Pub., 2015.
Rothman, Joel. Rolls, Rolls, Rolls. Joel Rothman Pub., 1967.
Rothman, Joel. Rudiments Revisited. Joel Rothman Pub., 1973.
Rothman, Joel. Son of Independent Thinking. Joel Rothman Pub., 1974.
Rothman, Joel. Soul on Bass. Joel Rothman Pub., 1970.
Rothman, Joel. Take A Break. Joel Rothman Pub., 1972.
Rothman, Joel. The Rock and Roll Bible of Co-ordination. Joel Rothman Pub., 1968.
Rothman, Joel. Triplet Control. Joel Rothman Pub., 1969.
Rothman, Joel. Two-Measure Jazz Drum Solos Phrased in Three. Joel Rothman Pub., 1974.

Works for Percussion by this Composer

I & Thou: Simple Duets For Drums - Percussion Duo