JUDGES CORNER - TIP #2

Drew Duthart PPBSO "A" Solo & Band Drumming Judging Accreditation

Drew Duthart judging snare drumming solos at the 2026 Hamilton Highland Gathering

”A wee note on the infamous Closed Roll”

Once upon a time, when dinosaurs and I roamed this vast continent looking for pipe band and solo contests to compete at, there was one rudiment that was considered the crème de la crème of all rudiments, one that would take a long time to perfect, if ever, a life study even! That would be the closed roll, the magnificent, closed roll!

My roll pulse is too open, my roll pulse is too closed, there is way too much space between my roll pulses, they are crushed, they are open, and so it goes on. I have personally spent countless hours of practice to achieve what I have in the way of a closed roll, good or bad, I think it’s good, but then again I'm biased, lol. When I'm judging, I keep thinking to myself, man, you are writing the same thing on every person’s sheet, and it is not always in the lower grades, it's everywhere!!!

When you hear a young up-and-coming drummer who has obviously put the practice into this fine rudiment, it would bring a tear to a glass eye! Makes my day as a judge and validates that I am indeed not a dinosaur and there is still hope in this great community that we play in.

So, the moral of the story... Study the masters, past and present, listen to your peers playing this fine rudiment, emulate the sound, ask them questions on the how, how to practice it, how to break it down, never settle for “Ah, it’s okay".  Practice it like you practice your other rudiments or scores for that matter, spend the time to develop your closed roll, the famous saying was, "it should sound like you're ripping a piece of paper" continuous buzz from start to finish no spaces between the roll pulses, not too open or not too closed… it shouldn’t sound like a sack of potatoes rumbling down a stair case!

Enjoy, and stay tuned for some more tips and tricks from your local Dinosaur!