JOHN DENSMORE: HIS USE OF "PRESS ROLLS" IN THE DOORS' MUSIC
Having examined the "Latin beat" used by The Doors’ drummer John Densmore to spice up the rhythm of some of the band's songs ( link to article here ), let us consider another distinctive feature of his sound: the "press roll". The percussive technique called "press roll" or "drum roll" has been used extensively on drums, especially the snare drum, since the 19th century. It originated in military bands, where it was used to add rhythm to soldiers' marches or to give a dramatic and solemn aura to executions. Starting to spread from this grim context, the "drum roll" has been used in the second half of the 19th century by street bands ("marching bands"), which colored town festivals in the southern United States with their simple and festive music. One step further, we find ourselves in the sizzling world of jazz (born in the early 1900s), which counts among its constitutive elements the very street bands that pl...
