If you really sit down and think about it being a tenor takes a lot of hard work. But does it take more work than playing anything else. i think it does. Most tenor parts are just the snare parts but all over the place on different drums. not only do you have to concentrate on your drumming but you have to concentrate on the flow of your arms from drum to drum while trying to march too. so do you guys think playing tenors is the hardest drum on the Line.

I definatly think so.....just like you said most of our tenor parts are basicly snare parts all over the place

Depends, Tenors may be hard, but I would imagine the big part about snare... trying to keep clean with 8-10 guys playing the exact same thing

Sure, Keeping two tenors clean is hard enough, but keeping those snares clean, with appropriate stick heights is really hard too. This is definatly a hard question, but to make a call, I would think that the snares and tenors are about equal, Once you add in all the other factors

yea your right...i didnt think about that

Honestly, it depends on how the parts are written. An arranger can write for any section to make it the most difficult in the line. But with that aside, each drum has its challenges:

• Snare drums are the most articulate. Because of that articulation, even small errors are easily apparent, requiring a level of cleanliness higher than other drums.
• If a tenor book is written with similar "note density" as the snare part, there's a higher physical and mental demand required to split the notes across drums.
• Bass drummers only play a piece of a rhythm, requiring the highest ability to subdivide and balance.

Personally, I think it's kind of a moot point. In my humble opinion, the most difficult instruments to play well aren't in the battery.

I agree. Although sticking don't seem as hard on tenors. I think it is easier if your a good tenor drummer to make a line because fewer people try tenors than snare although more people are on snare. little off topic there lol

I will have to agree with you on everything. And If your thinking what I'm thinking your thinking the hardest of the percussion instruments are up in the pit, the marimbas?

Think on it, They have to stay just as clean as the snares, and split notes just as much as the tenors, but they dont have 4-6 drums, they have 3 octaves of wood layed out, and they go up and down the marimbas as fast as any good bass line could

I don't think making tenors is "easier" really. Yes, fewer people audition on tenors but there are fewer spots to fill than the snareline. It all equals out in the end.

yeah that's what i meant, it just wasn't coming out in text very well lol

I agree that each instrument has its own difficulties...



In my opinion, tenors are the hardest to play- but that just makes it all the more fun to play!

Personally, playing bass drum at a world class DCI level is the hardest thing to me. You are basically splitting between 2 or more guys the same things that one person is playing in the snare and tenor lines.

I agree 100%

If you sit down and look at a bass drum score (with all 5 drums parts written on 1 staff) it is prety much a modified snare part and it has to be split between 5 drums just as clean as 1 snare player would play it. Yes, snares have the chalange of cleaning 8-10 drums and making them sound like one and tenors also have the chalange of moving all over 5-6 drums but my oppinion is that a world class bass line is the hardest.

If you were talking high school then snares and tennors would be equil because of the difficulty of the articulation with multiple drums and the tenors with spliting parts between drums. Yes bass splits are still hard but not as demanding in high school as in World Class DCI.

in the highschool and college range i would say that snare is harder than tenors, just because the argument that tenor music is the same as snares except split across drums is not generally true. snare music is usually very "choppy" in regards to cheezes, inverts, etc...but tenors do also play those rhythms occasionally but...in the highschool college scene not as much...I think that both snare and tenors have things about them that make them hard, but I think in the college and highschool scheme of things, you usually won't find a snare player that has "tenor" chops, nor will you usually find a tenor player with "snare" chops....playing on mylar heads is totally different from kevlar, I would actually say that Kevlar is more forgiving to the individual, but still harder to clean as a line. As for mylar heads on tenors, I would say that it is the opposite; being that mylar heads don't articulate as much as kevlar, making it easier to clean multiple players.

As for bass drums....yeah...they pwn. Splitting 30seconds and six's between two people is freakin hard, and I know that you have to be a certain kind of person to be able to play bass. The level of concentration and reading abilities that is required
is crazy.

Yup I know Snare like the back of my hand, and learned Tenors just for passion's sake. I definitely agree with Bernardo ^ because tenors generally are easier in the fact that they are easier to clean and don't require as many rudiments, hybrids or chops in general as snare until you get into the DCI corps.

I don't think there is one definite "hardest position" on a drumline. Each instrument comes with it's own difficulties that might not play a major role in another instrument.

so i have come to the conclusion that PIT takes just as much if not more chops than all them combined and everything on the line is just as hard as the next. thank you for your input but i have some questions.

How is it easier to clean 5 tenors compared to 9 snares?

Because, Snares have a much more staccato sound. If your marching kevlar heads, and someone messes up, your going to hear it, period.

Tenors march mylar heads. Not as staccato. It's a hell of a lot harder to hear a tenor player mess up, then a snare.

it's like ingredients in salsa or something, everything adds it's own flavor.

i completely agree. snares are extremely staccato (sp). it is extremely easy to notice a mistake among the snare line. and not to mention the amount of rudiments u find in a snare piece.

as to where tenors aren't so staccato its harder to spot mistakes. and the rudimental demands aren't that great from what ive seen. out of all the tenor music i've ever seen the hardest rudiment i've ever seen are paradiddle-diddles. now keep in mind thats from pieces i've physically seen.

but the bass line..it demands snugglebunny especially in world class lines. and especially from the top basses. the bassline, because each drummer is only playing a piece of the rthym, is something where u must be able to subdivide and balance.

its snugglebunny like one dude said. its like ingredients to a salsa they all add their own flavor to the mix.

Dude, you gotta get out more. Try and catch a DCI show this summer and check out some lot sessions.

no dude i meant like on paper like from past shows and stuff. guess i should've said that my fault. lol i've seen some sick stuff from DCI and all. i watch a lot of DCI vids and stuff on youtube so i mean ive seen a lot. i seriously wish our parts were that sick but ya know...high school..it sux lol i think a beginner could play our show music this year no joke its so pathetically easy..

and by the way, i love myself a nice clean salsa.

hahaha sry i just liked that analogy

i agree with the people who said each one is harder in its own way

Snare-staccato so hard to clean, somtimes difficult rudiments
Tenor-hard to crossover without hitting rims, somewhat hard to clean, heavy to carry
Bass-hard to keep very good time on splits

I agree with u that tenors is the hardest thing to play. They play a lot of the same thing as snare, but on multiple drums. Although snare players need good chops. They are playing a lot of cheeses, inverted flams, ect.. But overall i agree tenors is hardest to play in Highschool and in DCI

but i agree with whoever made a post saying that bass is the hardest thing in world class DCI, just look at a few bass features and imagine how hard they are....

Fo rizzle.

Bass drum players are sick, and on a drum corps line, I think they might have the hardest job. They aren't the best, everyone is equal (part of the whole), but as far as the job they have to do, it is pretty tough.

agreed as much as i love tenors. and though i've seen some sweet tenor parts in DCI. i'd love even more to march on a world class bass line.

yeah, I'd bet that the second bass on any line must have some pretty sick chops

Everything balances because each instrument has it challenges. If you go outside of drumline and consider ALL insruments, I'd say the Kazoo

oh yes im gonna join the blue devils and march the kazoo right out there and pwn the snare players.

I don't know man, you could also wow the crowd with some awesome cowbell playing. Who doesn't like more cowbell?!?

"I got a feva!! And the only prescription is more cowbell!"

haha yea go out there and play the beginning to Low Rider haha that'd be golden

Low Rider?!?

I'm talking about some Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult, that's the holy grail of Cowbell playing.

haha that too..sry i was goin over stand tunes when i read the cowbell comment. so Low Rider was teh first thing that popped into my head

no worries lol