all drums are basically equally as important...if you dont have a 2 bass obviously..it will sound bad. everyone needs to be on th esame page when it comes to musical interpretation..top 3 need to have better hands but bottom 2-ish still need to be able to keep up with top 3, bc if you don't your bassline wont succeed..
basicaly, all in all..ALL bass drums are important..and i just realized this wasn't a which one most important subject..so hardest i would just say top 2 due to the nature of them.

Oh yeah, I got 2nd. Woohoo for me.

In our music program @ my school,Bass 2 out of a 3 bass drum line is the hardest because it has the more complicated notes and "snarish" rhythms.Im glad to be the bass 2,I get some challenges.In our indoor program I get some better stuff than the snares.

Also in a 6 bass line I would imagine that 2 3 4 bass would be hard

I tend to agree with sorayah...

They're all involved, but for different reasons. I don't think one drum is necessarily "more difficult" than any other one.

Top bass essentially has to have snare caliber hands. He (or she) tends to mirror the snares on lots of phrases. Also, top tends to either start or end many of the runs, so it's either the first, or last thing a judge hears.

Second bass is on the upbeat...seems like all the time. Second bass tends to be reserved for one of your more seasoned or "cerebral" players, as it's non-stop counting. They also need to be able to feel the rhythms to a certain extent. You have to count, and not listen...it's kinda like a rifle shot...once you hear it, it's too late.

Third is the pivot drum, and as stated above, must be flawless. If a run tanks in the middle, what was the point.

Four, like two, is all on the upbeat. Therefore, you must be a counting fiend, as above. Also, it's quite a bit heavier than two, so it is physically more demanding than the smaller drums.

Five is the anchor. The guy (or girl) who plays down here must be a THUG! This is where the power in your line comes from, and as mentioned on drum one, five begins or ends lots of the runs. In addition...look at it...it's huge! I, for one, couldn't march a full eleven minutes with a 32" and function afterwards.

That all being said, I think EACH drum in the line is intrinsic and equally important.

Best,

Aaron

Well, Ive have played both 2nd & 3rd, and 2nd seemed a little bit more challanging due to every thing being on the off beats. as fare as the others, i have no clue except that the 1st and 4th or 5th play on the on beats most of the time. also our director always puts the more experanced and better bass players on the 2nd and 3rd drums.

I think it's pretty weird, but at our school bass difficulty is from 5th:hardest to 1st:easiest. Can anyone maybe fill me in on why our line's instructor does this?

2nd and 4th can get pretty weird, especially when you start doing 32nd splits and stuff of that calibre. But, and my school, we don't have that kind of music. So at my high school, I'm going to say that the position that is the hardest is 5th bass, just because of the weight. I have found that some people will focus more on correct posture and just holding the bass up, and completely throw technique and marching out the window. It's a shame, and I can only assume it is because this year the basses used stands more than they should have.