The Nine Stroke Roll is a great rudiment that you will be able to fit into a variety of different drumming situations.  It consists of 9 strokes – four doubles and a single.

The count that I use to keep time is 1-e-and-a-2-e-and-a-3.  When you are playing, you will notice that there is a quarter note pause at the end of playing this phrase.

The video below shows how to play the 9-stroke roll and also shows some basic applications around the drum kit.

Progression

The drum rudiments are the basic stepping-stones to mastering the instrument.  It makes sense to learn them in a logical order or progression.  The nine-stroke roll consists of single and double strokes, so it is essential that you have a good feel for how you play these first.

Once you are comfortable playing the 9-stroke roll, it is only a short progression to playing the 10-stroke roll.