Technique, feel, and the funk behind it all.
Ralph Rolle of Chic and Nile Rodgers presents a complete drum pack: the blend, triplet exercises, double stroke roll, hi-hat technique and more, all building groove and feel by playing with your ears.
Ralph Rolle masters the buzz roll, multiple strikes per hand, taught to him in Drum Corps. Arm over wrist for a rich, sustained buzz, with practice for even control across both hands.
Ralph Rolle on snare techniques inspired by Clyde Stubblefield and Ricky Williams: rim shots and open sounds, hitting the sweet spot with stick tip and rim at once, with tips for consistency and tone.
Ralph Rolle on hi-hat technique and its role in the groove, drawing on Max Roach and the Apollo: a 16th-note groove played on the side for size, open sounds via the pedal, blended with kick and snare.
Ralph Rolle explores "the Blend," inspired by Steve Gadd and Harvey Mason: the hi-hat's role in a cohesive groove with kick and snare, adding volume and flavour to tie the whole kit together.
Ralph Rolle on the double stroke roll, shaped by drum corps precision. Stick grip, posture and hand placement, metronome work across tempos for speed, and applying the roll across styles on the kit.
Ralph Rolle on ghost notes and grace notes: ghost notes for subtle rhythmic texture, grace notes for elegance, especially in funk, R&B and hip hop. Tips for smooth placement to add feel to any groove.
A basic rudiment alternating RLRR or LRLL, plus the paradiddle diddle variation with an extra double. Start slow on a pad, perfect the technique, build speed, then apply it across grooves and styles.
Ralph Rolle's triplet exercise for muscle control and stamina. Accent, body and release strokes from Bobby Craig sharpen stick control, practised in short bursts with a relaxed grip and regular breaks.
Ralph Rolle, 40+ years across styles, shares his signature groove. His favourite, a shuffle inspired by Bernard Purdie, became the Ralph Rolle Shuffle: musicality, space and tasteful grace notes.
Ralph Rolle on the Bronx groove and hip hop's chase of drum-machine sounds. With Cameo's Larry Blackmon he tightens straight hi-hats via the Word Up pattern, also heard on Nile Rodgers' Soup for One.
Ralph Rolle's story, from the Bronx to a Ringo-inspired switch from engineering to music. Four decades with Roberta Flack, D'Angelo and more, built on passion, power, placement, performance and purity.
Ralph Rolle performs 'Butcher and the Baker'.
Ralph Rolle live drum solo.
A master percussionist who turned pro at 18, Ralph Rolle has spent three decades as one of the most in-demand drummers around. He's played with Nile Rodgers and Chic, Sting, Mary J. Blige and D'Angelo, and spent 12 seasons on It's Showtime at the Apollo. A producer and entrepreneur who still leads with the groove.
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5 ch55m
£27
10 ch2h 45m
2 ch1h 4m
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