How do you feel that _drumming as a whole_ has evolved over the last few decades?
I've watched drumming push to more extremes over the years. Many people testing the limitations of the human body behind a kit, especially in genres like Metal. Speed is the name of the game when it comes to foot work and so on. I actually spoke with a well known guitarist a while back, of whom I had been recommended too for his live band. After listening to some specific songs off his new record I was honest with him and said that some of the double bass work on these songs would be a challenge for me. His reply was something along the lines of "As soon as I found out someone could actually do this, I put it on the record." The problem with that thought process is there are probably only like 3 guys in the world that could accomplish what he's asked for. Thus the drummer chair in the band is one that is ever changing.
This kind of thing had bled over into the production side of music as well. Many artist today will hire a producer to essential create an entire song or album for them, outside of the lyrics. Many independent artists I've worked for over the years have little to no knowledge about their own music, or what musicians may have played on it, if any. A good producer has an understanding about the instruments they choose to use on a particular song. How those work, and the limitations of each. However, I can't tell you how many times I've received music that I'm expected to learn for a live event, and have to call the artist and clarify exactly what I'm supposed to play. Many times theses so called "producers" try to get creative for creativity sake, and toss out the fact that a human will have to replicate it, or the whole "Does it serve the song" concept is abandoned. The end result becomes drum parts that a human is physically incapable of replicating because, to the best of my knowledge, most people do not have 3 legs or 4 arms. Changing a bass drum pattern ever single bar until it becomes unrecognizable from measure one to measure eight isn't something I consider creative. Yes these are the types of things producer have started to inflict on flesh and blood musicians.
A solid groove has always been a comfort zone for me. I don't enjoy sweating it out during a song because I'm trying to make sure I nail the ever-changing pattern on 16th notes between a verse and a chorus. I think since the late 90's that's been a forceful trend in contemporary music. It's aided in the "extreme" aspects I spoke about first, and has continued in the technology driven world we find ourselves in today.
Speaking of technology, a HUGE evolution of drumming in just the last few years has been not drumming at all. We as drummers are no longer expected to just play the drums. Now days we need to know how to run laptops, software programs, cue tracks, etc. None of this has anything to do with striking a drum with a stick, but it could mean the difference between employment or not. I've personally lost jobs because I wasn't educated on the particular DAW program the band used live. A silver lining to the shutdown of live music this year has been that I've been now able to take the time to expand my education in that realm and narrow the possibilities of being passed over on a job for a lack of skill unrelated to playing my instrument.