Which is harder to play - drums or guitar?!

Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

Drums are an easy instrument for non drummers to sound "good" to other non drummers.

I mean, a basic 4/4 rock beat with an 8th note fill with some guitars and stuff can sound good. Listen to mainstream music and how simplistic some of the drumming is. Unfortunately complex drumming is sometimes only appreciated by other drummers.

Guitar is kind of the opposite, its apparent right away if a guy is a beginner, and complex guitar parts are sung about for ages.

So i think drumming is a little more "thankless" than guitar. But i know from a personal standpoint, i took to drums very quickly, and i still cannot play guitar, nor can i find lessons that help me play
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

@OP: I'll settle this right now, so that you and your friend can get on to the more important things in life, such as actually making music:

You're both right, and both wrong.

Guitar playing involves dexterity and independence of individual fingers, and knowledge of both rhythmic and melodic structure.

Drumming requires independence of all four limbs, a much deeper understanding of rhythm, and a very solid sense of song structure.

Neither is more complicated than the other; however, one can be more difficult to an individual than another based on the skills and talents that person possesses, much as some people take easily to learning languages or learning how to draw and some have little aptitude for those skills.

I play both, but do not consider myself a guitarist because my personal gifts don't lend themselves to the same level of performance and proficiency that they do to my drumming.

Now, go play some darn music!
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

Definitely more separation between drummers than guitar players. I think it's just the way some people are wired. As for me, I tried the latter for four years and just gave up regretting the time I could have used getting better on drums. Martin D 35 for sale.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

This thread prompted me to ask my guitarist this very question. So in order to make it scientific and get to the bottom of this quandary, we switched instruments. Well, you'd think THAT would settle it once and for all.....alas, I was wrong. He swears that drums are harder to play.....but funnily enough, I swear that guitar is much more difficult.

Who is right and who is wrong? The fact that it remains unresolved is starting to affect our 25 year friendship. :)
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

Say you get a definitive answer, agreed by everyone. Then what? Strut around doing the superiority dance? Not for me.
We are not better than anyone else, just different. We are a necessary part of music, as is guitar, so in my mind, we're equals.

There is no answer to this question. A person whose brain and body is wired for drumming will take to it easier than guitar. So naturally guitar is harder to that person, he is not wired for it. And vice versa. It's a circular debate with no end.

You would think that because drummers are using 4 limbs and guitarists 2 limbs, that drumming is harder. But there are things in guitar, melody and harmony for instance, that drummers don't even have to consider. (basically speaking)

To master drums or guitar takes relatively the same amount of skills, they just lie in different diciplines, which have little overlap.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

It really depends on what you want out of music.
If you want to play along with songs, drums are easier, no question.
If you want to shred, then good guitar players and good drummers have an equal amount of work to do.
But when it comes to potential, that is where the scales shift toward drums big time. Sure, a guitar player can learn a 12 string other than a 6, but it's just set up as octaves to the real note. Drummers can extend themselves out to a dozen or more pedals, literally a thousand things to hit with their sticks, mallets, rods, hands, and so on. Drum learning is unlimited. Guitar learning is not.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

jimtyler said:
It really depends on what you want out of music.
If you want to play along with songs, drums are easier, no question.
If you want to shred, then good guitar players and good drummers have an equal amount of work to do.
But when it comes to potential, that is where the scales shift toward drums big time. Sure, a guitar player can learn a 12 string other than a 6, but it's just set up as octaves to the real note. Drummers can extend themselves out to a dozen or more pedals, literally a thousand things to hit with their sticks, mallets, rods, hands, and so on. Drum learning is unlimited. Guitar learning is not.
Click to expand...

I hate to jab a finger in your direction, but the last sentence of your post is filled with an extreme amount of misinformation.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

Mind over matter.
From the begining, if you think something is hard to play then it will be hard. If you think positive, having the goodwill to learn and practise, then you will master the issue and achieving the goal on (any instrument, either drums or guitar)...sometimes we create our own limitations.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

Well, I can play both relatively well but I'd say that the clarinet is the hardest

...
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

These threads show up periodically. It's a dumb thing to discuss, like Enterprise vs. Death Star, but irresistible anyway.

The guitar is a melodic instrument and requires knowledge of scales, harmonies, chords, notes, rhythm, etc. The guitar itself is much more complex than the drums. Drums just require knowledge of note values. So, I'd have to say the guitar is intrinsically harder.

But the instrument is only part of music; the person using the instrument is the other part. Someone who is motivated and works to master their instrument will automatically have a harder instrument than someone who is lazy and uninspired, regardless of the instrument.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

Deathmetalconga said:
These threads show up periodically. It's a dumb thing to discuss, like Enterprise vs. Death Star, but irresistible anyway.

The guitar is a melodic instrument and requires knowledge of scales, harmonies, chords, notes, rhythm, etc. The guitar itself is much more complex than the drums. Drums just require knowledge of note values. So, I'd have to say the guitar is intrinsically harder.

But the instrument is only part of music; the person using the instrument is the other part. Someone who is motivated and works to master their instrument will automatically have a harder instrument than someone who is lazy and uninspired, regardless of the instrument.
Click to expand...

I fully agree with your last paragraph. I also stand corrected in saying that learning the guitar is limited.
However, anytime someone says that drums are not melodic and you don't need to learn scales, chords, notes, etc., they are right, you don't NEED to. But you could. A big part of my practice routine on my set is scales and triads.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

I find guitar harder, my guitarist friends find drumming harder. Might be a point there but I can't quite think of it.

It's also quite possible to play scales on drums, just uncommon, and while guitarists may need to play notes and chords, not just time values, they don't use their feet (not extensively at least). Four way mobility vs. two way.

I think they both have individual challenges, nobody can claim that there is not technique involved in a higher level of playing on both instruments.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

aydee said:
Well, I can play both relatively well but I'd say that the clarinet is the hardest

...
Click to expand...

I play clarinet much better than the drums. Because I started clarinet as a child and practised for many years. Didn''t do that with drums. Therefore... isn't it round about now somebody mentions the harp as being the 'hardest'?
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

A silly argument IMO. Over the years I have bought guitars, basses etc. But I never played them. There was always some percussion instrument that took presedence.

I did learn how to play bass on a Savage garden song in 5 minutes once. It took me years to become fluent in Afro Cuban/Brazilian rhythms though.

It depends on the individual.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

i think the only thing that can be said for sure is drumming is more physically demanding, and no im not counting a guitarest running and jumping around on stage, that is not needed to actually play guitar.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

DSCRAPRE said:
If the difficulty of the instrument determined its value then all anyone would ever want to hear or play is the Theremin.
Click to expand...

+1 on this. Everyone who asks this question should be forced to switch to Theremin as punishment.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

joeysnare said:
i think the only thing that can be said for sure is drumming is more physically demanding, and no im not counting a guitarest running and jumping around on stage, that is not needed to actually play guitar.
Click to expand...

Not all drum beats are physically demanding, but yeah, on average, most drum beats require you break more of a sweat then playing guitar.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

One thing I do know is, drummers are usually better all-round musicians. Rhythm is the foundation of all music, and a lot of guitarists don't have much sense of rhythm at all, in my experience. I'm a guitarist myself, so I'm allowed to say that.
 
Re: Which is harder to play drums or guitar?!?!

..

I think the harp is the most demanding of all.


...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top