i am terrible at rolls. ive discovered the problem. my left hand isnt very strong and consequently my rolls are dodgy. anyone got any tips on how to make my left hand stronger?

Coco

Do you play kit? Buddy Rich once played a whole gig with only one arm working (broke the other, IIRC). For strength, you could do half your practice with your right hand in your pocket. The standard advice for evenness would be to slow down your roll practice until you can hear the separate strokes and be sure that they are even.

yeah i play kit. thanks!!

hmm...ways to strengthen your left hand. Doing doubles gets the left hand working a bit more than normal! Paradiddles would also probably help. Also, try doing different numbers of beats all with one hand, then doing one beat with both hands together, and do a different number of beats with the other hand, and just carry on swapping hands. Does that make any sense? e.g LLLLLLL(L+R)RRR(L+R)LLLLLLLL(L+R)RRRRR . That helps to build up strength in the weaker hand too. Maybe give them a try, and your roll could well improve! You could also try playing the roll, accenting the left hand, and it may actually sound even!