One-Handed Rolls and The Rhythmic Pyramid
The one exercise that single-handedly helped me learn independent one-handed rolls was this rhythmic pyramid exercise. This concept was taught to me by Benjamin Toth, and to this day I use it to touch up on the consistency of my one-handed rolls.
The key is to be completely rhythmically accurate before going into the roll - slow and controlled. The roll is not a random speed. It is determined by many factors: range, interval, and dynamic. The lower register of the marimba requires a slower roll so you can respond and adjust to the longer resonance in that range while a closer interval at a forte dynamic level may require a faster roll. So, to be able to stay accurate from the "slowest rhythms in the exercise to the fastest will allow you to be extremely versatile in any instance you might encounter a one-handed roll.
This excerise can be played in multiple different ways. Try making these adjustments each time you play:
One hand only (only left, then only right).
Change the interval (seconds/octaves) and have each hand at a different interval.
Try at diferent dynamic levels, or even hairpin crescendo and decrescendo each “phrase”.
Make sure when you are practicing it slow that you are playing it the same way it would be played fast. For example, when playing the first measure, each individual note shouldn’t be its own separate stroke. Rather, even the slow notes should be played only by twisting the wrists so as you climb the pyramid towards the unmetered roll the technique doesn’t change.
