What Is the Most Difficult Style of Drumming?

[green glass drum]

Extremely simple, un-showy, organized drumming for the song and producer.....Along with fusion, latin......and sure.....speed metal.

 

[mikyok]

For me it's music that doesn't interest me at all not a genre per se. Usually some god awful request that just plain stinks up the joint.

I've got this internal filter for crap music and it works a little too well when I need to learn a crap song, my brain refuses to let it sink in and switches off 20 seconds in out of protest

 

[Push pull stroke]

For me it's music that doesn't interest me at all not a genre per se. Usually some god awful request that just plain stinks up the joint.

I've got this internal filter for crap music and it works a little too well when I need to learn a crap song, my brain refuses to let it sink in and switches of 20 seconds in out of protest

I don’t do this for a living, it’s a side gig, so that’s not as big of an issue….but yes, there have been some gigs I was happy to be able to say “sorry, I’m already booked” to

 

[Drummingdog]

The style you can't play.

I friends that played jazz/latin and started taking simpler pop/country gigs. Boy did they have a learning curve in reverse!

 

[Drummingdog]

Speed metal. Attempting blast beats can only be had for a limited time for this old guy.

They are techniquely impressive, but alas, begin to resemble .50 cal guns if done a lot. For the record, anybody who does them well has my total respect

 

[Drummingdog]

Not trying to kop out but my belief is to play ANY style at a high level is difficult. Takes time, effort, knowledge and practice.

I agree! Ive played with accomplished jazz musicians who could not get proper feel for country. A guy sat in one night on my set and played incredible rock stuff, straight stuff. When they went into a shuffle, he was lost. That was an eye opener for me

 

[green glass drum]

The drumming where you have to pick a pattern...and stay with it...with great time....with no changes....for a long time.........BUT...also Billy Cobham style and Lenny White style.

 

[Rattlin' Bones]

1. Groove and buzz rolls from jazz
2. Footwork and sheer single-stroke speed from metal
3. Coordination from Latin
4. If we’re including orchestral percussion, then the super-quiet playing that orchestral percussionists have to do, plus the ability to follow a large group that can’t keep a steady beat

Yes this, but the buzz rolls in jazz are not that hard. It's everything else you gotta do in jazz besides buzz rolls that makes it so hard lol.

 

[Philaiy9]

I think Brazilian jazz is probably the toughest. Particularly the stuff that Issac Jamba does. It seems there's a pretty high technical barrier to entry if you want to play Brazilian jazz.

 

[Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX]

Orchestral/chamber music has the highest level of pressure, overall, IMHO as mistakes made there stick out to everyone in attendance.

(for me)
4 mallet marimba playing is the hardest, and fits into the orchestral idiom, but honestly, modern competitive marching band 4 mallet playing is off the charts

then tabla,
then Latin,
then fast metal/jazz
then marching tonal bass drums
then marching tenors/quads
then jazz brushes

 

[Bo Eder]

there's

yer mental acuity
'n physical dexterity

ok
on to in-a-gadda-da- vida

I’ve been listening to this album and no way I could’ve played like him when I was 17. But he is a hero.

 

[Push pull stroke]

(for me)
4 mallet marimba playing is the hardest, and fits into the orchestral idiom, but honestly, modern competitive marching band 4 mallet playing is off the charts

then tabla,
then Latin,
then fast metal/jazz
then marching tonal bass drums
then marching tenors/quads
then jazz brushes

I think there’s another consideration called “if I make mistakes at this, will I maybe lose a paying gig?” Which kind of changes the landscape

 

[Bozozoid]

Getting inside the minds of the studio greats. This week it's Russ Kunkell and disecting every little thing he does and doesn't do. If he made a mistake I want to know why. His choice of fills..beats..i actually get tensed up physically trying to get inside of his mind. It's not good for my health and bloodpressure. I need a break.

 

[Anon La Ply]

I just remembered. Afro-Cuban, which has a weird on-top-of-the-beat thing going on that is insane to keep up with. It makes Latin seem friendly at times.

 

[roncadillac]

I think the more extreme metal genres (speed, death, thrash, black) are the most difficult to play because they require stamina, endurance, and feel. To play those intricate rhythms, at those speeds, with that precision, and to keep up with that volume is very impressive.

 

[drumholmes]

Not a genre, but I'd say playing at slow tempos should get a shout out!

 

[jda]

Show drumming,
Backing up comedians.
Especially Jugglers.

 

[petrez]

I feel both jazz and extreme metal, while on the opposite side of the musical spectrum, probably are the genres that demand the most of the drummer compared with other styles of music to work. Though of course more groove based genres like blues demand a lot of restraint and feel, I think the music itself can be listenable in the more popular genres with just an average/mediocre drummer. You can't really slack off in metal and jazz without the whole thing just falling apart, so I feel those are the styles that demand the most. Maybe I'm biased since I play metal myself, but I was in a party/cover band 10 years ago with mainly only metal as my main background, it took me way shorter time to adjust to pop/rock/blues than any of my peers trying to go the other way round. Maybe that depends on the drummer, maybe not. I can't play jazz to save my life, though...

 

[mikyok]

I don’t do this for a living, it’s a side gig, so that’s not as big of an issue….but yes, there have been some gigs I was happy to be able to say “sorry, I’m already booked” to

Drumming is my side hustle too, if a gig is well paid enough and I can handle it I'll do it. I tend to find the more complex the music the less it pays. That's when I'm busy too

The only ones I say a hard no to are reading gigs. They terrify me!

 

[A J]

Jazz is the most difficult for me. Nothing else comes close.

As for Metal, I've always been a fan. I'm familiar with the genre and that helps a lot. Also... I've learned enough shortcuts that I can get through most Metal tunes and I only play single bass.