Drums definitely hardest to play of all instruments

[tpalen7]

This is a statement of fact. After solely playing the drums for the past six months or so, I decided to pick up my dusty ax and tore.......it.....up. Granted, I've worked my way through my career on HARD and could play on expert before I started the drums, but I moved right into expert after not touching the guitar for months. I even played Snow because everyone was saying how over charted it was and got an 88%. I know this isn't great, but the song is difficult and I've never played it before. I then went through all of my DLC that I have never played on the guitar before and was scoring in the 90% everytime. No, I didn't FC anything or gold star anything, but give me a week and it would happen. I was just thinking that I've been playing the drums all this time and still struggle with some songs and have only gold starred ten songs or so, although I don't really play solo enough to get more, but there is no way a guitarist could walk away from the drums for months and jump back into expert; Especially on DLC songs that he or she has never played. Once you get the hammer ons and pull-offs down, you're all set - then it's just a matter of keeping your rhythm. Drums is a completely different animal. Mix in the crazy rolls with the bass pedal, and the added bonus of equipment that loves to drop random notes, it's the hardest instrument to play. I don't mention vocals here. I do respect the expert vocalist, but you can vitrually hum your way through a difficult song or passage. Guitaristist and drums people don't have that luxury.

[Comrade_Classen]

This is a statement of fact....who cares

[tpalen7]

^^^^^Disgruntled guitarist.

[princeofcups777]

This is a statement of fact....who cares

I do. I'm the reason that my band cannot do expert endless setlist. There are 6 songs that I just cannot do. Now I can feel frustrated and inferior about this, or else accept the fact that, yes, drums are hardest. This keeps up my spirit to keep practicing. Just for fun I started bass a month ago, and can pass all songs on expert. I've been drumming for, what, 8 months now.

[afterstasis]

i'm an expert drummer who thinks that vocals are the hardest.
it all depends on the person... some people are more coordinated with their limbs, some are good with their fingers, and others have the throat of gold...

[Subtemperate]

You know, if you say they are completely different animals... then why compare them?

[tpalen7]

I do. I'm the reason that my band cannot do expert endless setlist. There are 6 songs that I just cannot do. Now I can feel frustrated and inferior about this, or else accept the fact that, yes, drums are hardest. This keeps up my spirit to keep practicing. Just for fun I started bass a month ago, and can pass all songs on expert. I've been drumming for, what, 8 months now.

Well said my friend. RttH is the reason I can't do the Expert endless setlist. It's just me on drums and girlfriend on vocals, and she can't save me for my sure failure. I bet if I had a guitarist, he could though. :)

[tpalen7]

You know, if you say they are completely different animals... then why compare them?

You know, I don't know how to respond to that. Guess I just want to make a point.

[Hokonoso]

though it depends on the person i still have to disagree, all isntruments take some type of rhythm and musical talent to be great at, just you only have to be halfway decent to finish a song on guitar/bass but to gold star a song on guitar/bass you have to be excellent. i put guitar has hardest and vox/drums as easiest to master assuming you have an aptitude for the given instrument. obviously if you cant sing in real life you wont be able to sing in this game, that's just a simple fact as you have to actually know how to sing to sing, sure you can cheat and hum.. but that's not singing is it? but to gold star GGaHT on guitar you have to be able to strum very fast and move your fingers on your left hand super fast. This imo is harder than doing drums, i think most ppl just think drums are harder because they use the default setup. get a real drum kit and RTTH is super easy to pass, it's all about having a semi-consistent roll with mastering the foot pedal. So given that, if you use the default setup then I will agree drums is the hardest, if you are a drummer and get a real drum kit then it's second easiest to master.

These are just my opinions but keep in mind it's really hard to master any instrument so the differences in difficulty is minor, also keep in mind if you play a certain song 1000 times on one instrument, you default have it memorized in your head making it super easy to finish on another, that doesn't make the other instrument easier, it just means you own that song. For instance, having owning the game 6 months and never starting a vocal tour i picked it up one day and finished the expert tour in 1 day not failing a single song. By this time I had every song memorized so it was super easy.

[CONAN9845]

I will agree from a personal stand point that the drums are by far the hardest instrument to play... For me.

I just think the OP sounded like a jerk.

[tpalen7]

I don't know. You said a lot without saying much. I'm not a real drummer. I play a game. Get a real drum kit? Am I missing something? Did you say easy? I'm playing a game here. IN THE GAME, the song is very difficult. I'm not playing midnight gigs at the local pub. I'm in my living room. I don't want to spend too much time on that, but vocals? Come on. I can't sing in real life and can sing. I've played Revolution hundreds of times and did very well. It's not singing, it's matching tone. I don't understand your arguement either about finishing the vocal tour in 1 day. So does that mean you can sing in real life as you previously stated, or because you memorized the songs? Rtth super easy blows me away. Semi-consistent roll and mastering the foot pedal. lol. Why didn't I think of that.

[Archaicbereft]

...and others have the throat of gold...

....must... resist... yourmomma joke.....

:D

I agree about vocals and drums being the hardest, mostly because they are closest to the real deal... sure you can hum with vocals but you still need to hit the right pitch.

personally I find guitar easy as well, there are still some ridiculous guitar songs but compared to the ridiculous drum songs they are still a breeze.

there are currently no hard Bass songs in RB, even on expert.. which sucks

we need some mudvayne, primus, tool, etc.

[tpalen7]

I will agree from a personal stand point that the drums are by far the hardest instrument to play... For me.

I just think the OP sounded like a jerk.

Ha. I agree....wait....

[Renrock]

I've always been a Vocalist , so Expert Vox is no problem for me. I went into this game with no Drum knowledge whatsoever and worked my way through Expert on most songs (bout 5 I can't do)

I cannot play Guitar past the Medium difficulty. I can pass some songs on Hard , but it's not pretty.

[tpalen7]

I've always been a Vocalist , so Expert Vox is no problem for me. I went into this game with no Drum knowledge whatsoever and worked my way through Expert on most songs (bout 5 I can't do)

I cannot play Guitar past the Medium difficulty. I can pass some songs on Hard , but it's not pretty.


How often have you played the guitar? I've played GH and then did the hard tour and started the expert tour. I'm no stranger to playing the guitar before i started with the drums. I would imagine if you have never played the guitar, it would be difficult.

[Lady Siara]

How often have you played the guitar? I've played GH and then did the hard tour and started the expert tour. I'm no stranger to playing the guitar before i started with the drums. I would imagine if you have never played the guitar, it would be difficult.

Using that knowledge, that is why the drums are difficult for most. They have never played a drum simulator and Rock Band was their first.

[Mr. Tate]

I play drums and I have to say that I think the guitar is by far the most difficult instrument in the game. Drums are realistic, hence you can definitely know what to expect if you are a drummer or if you have an ear for drums. Vocals are hard if you can't sing, which is a valid point for any instrument. Granted, it's more difficult to understand what the game expect you to sing than what the game expect you to strike or strum, but I still feel the guitar is definitely the most difficult instrument in the game. It requires both technical and interpretation skills. And again as a virtual drummer I think the drums are second easiest after bass. So I spoke. :D

[Froggy21786]

Each person will have a different feel for what is difficult and what isn't. Saying that *insert part here* is the absolute hardest to play for everyone is simply idiotic.

IE, drums are much much easier to me than vox. I only have one song left to beat on the expert drum tour, but am struggling about halfway through the hard vox tour. I just can't do the vocals thing. I can easily beat any guitar song with the exception of Thrasher. My girlfriend on the other hand can't pass medium guitar, but gets bored with expert vocals because it comes naturally to her.

Each person is different.

[Artemecien]

I would say vocals are hardest. Not because I'm an expert vocalist and I want to blow my own horn,but because vocals is the only analogue input into this rhythm game. Drums and guitar/bass are a I/0 digital input where you either hit or don't, vocals is a little more complex than that,and in my personal experience people have the most trouble getting used to it as it branches away from the usual rhythm game mechanics.

That said,I'm pretty damn average at drumming.

[rylin]

I will agree from a personal stand point that the drums are by far the hardest instrument to play... For me.

I just think the OP sounded like a jerk.

I concur.
(10)

[Darkfalz]

Its different for each person.

I've found the drums to be the hardest instrument to learn, but the easiest to master. In only 5 months I've manged to get into the top 7000 drummers.

I've played guitar since GH1, and I'm ranked 60,000+. I'm one song away from Lord of the Strings, and can beat almost every Expert song on guitar, but just can't find the finger dexterity/mastery to hold a combo like others can. Guitar is easier to learn,but damn hard to master.

Then there is vocals. If I drink, I lose my inhibition and can 5* many songs on Hard and Expert, but sober I just can't get over the dorky feeling of hearing myself sing to want to do it on a regular basis. You need a certain attitude to do vocals on a regular basis which I think can be a hard thing to muster up.

[tpalen7]

You guys all sound like my girlfriend. Vocals are the hardest? No way. This is the core of many arguements between us. No wonder she hates me so much. Maybe she's right.........On second thought, you guys are crazy.

[Renrock]

How often have you played the guitar? I've played GH and then did the hard tour and started the expert tour. I'm no stranger to playing the guitar before i started with the drums. I would imagine if you have never played the guitar, it would be difficult.


I played GH and GH2 alot before this. It's just when everyone else was getting better and moving on to Expert , I was content just playing on Medium , so naturally I got left behind. Now I'm ashamed to even play Guitar in public.(or online) lol

I still play , I just can't seem to get my brain to click with the patterns when there are 5 buttons in play.

[afterstasis]

i think vocals are so tough for me because i refuse to hum or mumble or anything like that. i'm a loud person when i sing. very loud...
additionally, i smoke a lot so i sound like a cross between tom waits and ozzy.

[Darkfalz]

You guys all sound like my girlfriend. Vocals are the hardest? No way. This is the core of many arguements between us. No wonder she hates me so much. Maybe she's right.........On second though, you guys are crazy.

As you age you'll just learn to say "Michelle, you're right, vocals ARE the hardest."

Then smile, and be done with it.

[tpalen7]

I played GH and GH2 alot before this. It's just when everyone else was getting better and moving on to Expert , I was content just playing on Medium , so naturally I got left behind. Now I'm ashamed to even play Guitar in public.(or online) lol

I still play , I just can't seem to get my brain to click with the patterns when there are 5 buttons in play.

You sound like my friend. Medium all day, then try the move to hard and incorporate the fifth button, forget about it.

[Artemecien]

additionally, i smoke a lot so i sound like a cross between tom waits and ozzy.

No matter how I approach that, I cannot see it as a bad thing.

Sing more,sing for crowds,become a rock legend.

[tpalen7]

As you age you'll just learn to say "Michelle, you're right, vocals ARE the hardest."

Then smile, and be done with it.

lol. Never. -Is that you Michelle? In disguise. This is getting weird.

[afterstasis]

No matter how I approach that, I cannot see it as a bad thing.

Sing more,sing for crowds,become a rock legend.

oh, i think it sounds okay but the arrow that's supposed to be on the line says otherwise.

[sarysa]

I'm a freak. I'm terrible at guitar and yet drums came fairly quickly to me. (though they're tough to master, I moved to expert in <1 month) Guitar makes me wish I had an extra finger. Though I'm great at strum spam songs, they're like drumming on the guitar. :D

[tpalen7]

I don't know. Everything is hard to master. That is for sure. I curse RttH for hindering my expert career. I can at least get through any song on guitar. Different mind set maybe. I just think drums are the most difficult.

[KingofQUEEN92]

Drums are sooo easy i think guitars the hardest and i beat the game on expert guitar as well as drums so ye ai guess it depends on who you are

[rocketmanpwns]

Drums arn't the hardest...
Since i dont have the fender guitar i find guitar the hardest
Drums are easier then guitar
Vocals are bloody imposerble

[Johnny Webb]

I'm a drummer, and I think the guitar is by far the hardest, but i don't have the finger speed for it; it seems to be just a matter of where your personal talents lie.

[brobot]

It's hard to say. I progressed alot faster on drums then I did on guitar. It took me 3 Guitar Heros to play steadly good to great on expert. It has been since November that it took me to be decent on drums.

[marcin0903]

Can you give me some issues, my biggest problem is playing notes which are put: red, red, red, red-yellow, red, red, red, red-yellow, and I must play them very quick, it's hard to do it, have someone got any issues for me?

[Hindesite]

Pure opinion.

I think the guitar just feels like an easier instrument to most people because a lot of big RB fans have been playing HMX games since Guitar Hero 1 (or sooner, but that's irrelevant) and have had YEARS of practice.

I definately progressed to expert drums in Rock Band WAY faster then I got to expert guitar with Guitar Hero.

[cutmaclass]

For me, Vox is the most difficult.

I can five star Expert Drum songs but I've yet to five star even the easiest Expert Vox songs :(

[ManikRider7]

i somewhat agree and disagree. the fact is that the drums for the most part are something completely new to most people who are familiar and have played the guitar hero games, so in that respect it is more difficult due to familiarity of the plastic guitars. I think however, the two are too different to really compare and say one is harder than the other in a general sense. both of them require rhythm, but other than that have different skill sets. guitar is more about dexterity and fine finger control while the drums for expert mostly, use more larger muscles and require stamina, limb independence, accuracy and a decent technique.

it really just depends on the person. you'll have some drummers who are amazing , but suck it up on guitar or even the opposite. and the same goes for vocals, not everybody can do that, humming or not.

[frizzy_bj]

Actually, I agree with you. I am an expert vocalist and I breezed through most of the songs on expert with little difficulty. I am a singer IRL so this may be why I didn't have a hard time.

Some of my friends would disagree with you as they can't get through a song on medium without failing out and they have been playing the game since its release.

Drums and guitar are proving to be the hardest for me personally but I think it depends on the person.;)

[tpalen7]

I dig the PSN network name. ha. Anyway, I have to stick to my guns here. Sure GH has helped a lot of people, but the GH and RB are different when it comes to the guitar. The guitars themselves are different - GH having guitars that feel like complete garbage in my hand, plus they are charted completely differently. Sure it gives you a base, but drums are still the true test.

[WiiRockDS]

Drums are hard because sometimes you have to hit the foot pedal and hit the drum pads at different beats. Like (FP)_(FP)___(FP)(FP)_(FP)__(FP)_(FP)(FP)(FP) while you do some sort of regular beat on the drum pads. I can only do easy. With guitar, there is no beat difference really. Maybe an occasional strum in a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs would come close to how hard drums are on expert.

[jordan15b]

vocals= hardest stuff ever cant even pass on easy when i can beat every guitar song on expert and every drum song except run to the hills on expert

[ZodiacKilla707]

I disagree,Guitar for me is harder.Im a expert drummer but im only on med/hard guitar.playing guitar since GH2 and i still suck.

[jeccaneko]

i'm an expert drummer who thinks that vocals are the hardest.
it all depends on the person... some people are more coordinated with their limbs, some are good with their fingers, and others have the throat of gold...

That's a good point.

I personally thought vocals would be hardest for me when I bought Rock Band initially. But they weren't at all. It took way less time to master vocals than it did to originally master guitar on the Guitar Hero games for me.

Drumming is hardest for me, but that's primarily because I have problems separating the movement of my limbs when trying to play drums. I can do drums through medium just fine, but beyond the first tier or 2 in hard, drumming starts to be very challenging thanks to the number of bass pedal hits and the fact that sometimes bass pedal hits are in a "strange" place to me.

I like it a lot though so it's worth the effort of learning it.

If anyone cares, I can play every instrument on expert save for drums. So... yeah. :)

[Sarge51]

You've obviously never played Expert Vocals.

[ChoirChronos]

I say it depends on the person.

Me personally I had the biggest learning curve on guitar (expert) and I still haven't mastered it. Vocals (expert) and drums (hard/expert) had a much smaller one. Things I didn't get a week ago are suddenly as clear as day. Vocally could be explained by me doing voice lessons for +6 years and choir for . . .ever. Drums I have no idea- I'm a coordinated as a drunken cow. DDR maybe? Eh.

But honestly all instruments are just different enough to make a "this is hardest/easiest" statement nothing but opinion. They involve different abilities.

[memphus]

Drums only seem hardest to you because you were ALREADY GOOD at guitar before the came out, as you probably had Guitar Hero.

As someone for whom this is my first music rhythm game, I can assure you, all instruments are fairly equal in difficulty, and take the same amount of time and practise to master.

I can beat every song but two on expert drums. I can only beat about 25 songs on expert guitar. Why? Because I play drums 90% of the time when I play RockBand.

PS: I can't even make it halfway through the solo tour of easy vocals.

[Shadarr]

I haven't noticed any difference in difficulty inherent to the instrument. I've been singing all my life and playing GH for several years, so it seems perfectly natural that I breezed through the vocal campaign and made it to GG&HT on guitar. I'd never played drums prior to getting the game seven months ago and while I'm improving all the time, it's still my weak link.

I suppose for people who are spastic or tone deaf there could be difficulties but otherwise I think it just comes down to practice.

[Icemage]

It has more to do with personal talent and practice than any difficulty in the instrument categories. I'm at best a passable medium/hard guitarist, and can barely hold my own on medium drums, but I handle Expert vocals with panache.

If you want to know how difficult it is for the "average" person, though, just take a look around and see how many people are in the exceptional top of the boards on each instrument.

There's plenty of good guitar, bass, and drummers. Excellent vocalists who can do more than pass every song in the game, though, are a rare breed.

Doesn't mean vox is harder than the other instruments, but it does mean that, on the whole, more people struggle on vocals than any other instrument.

[creamcheese]

I wish I found guitar as easy as drums

passed expert drums with only a few issues, want to kill myself trying to get through hard guitar

[Train05]

The reason I find Drums harder than guitar is becuase drums take your hold body out! Guitar is hard but it really only takes your fingers out but at points you sweat from playing drums.

[The Hungry Samurai]

It's pretty obvious that Vox is a "You have it or you don't" game. I love to sing, and i've been doing so all my life, it took me less than a week to beat solo vox on expert. I've been a GH fan from the start and I already owned GH and GH2 (for PS2 and 360) when RB launched, though at the time I had never beat the game on harder than Hard difficulty. It took me about 8 or so months to beat RB expert Guitar Solo tour. I've never really touched drums and my experience with it previously amounted to playing my versions of solo's on steering wheel. I'm 3 songs away from beating it on hard, and about 11 songs into the expert tour. The guitar and Drums both have the same amount of inputs (GRYB Pedal, and GRYBO). It can be argued that Drums require more coordination,and stamina since 3 limbs are required, but Guitars feature a more complex pattern of inputs most of the time and tend to require a great deal more finesse. One could even argue that Vocals is the complex game since they need to study a song to know it's intricasies and sing it EXACTLY as the original, or that the bass is more challenging because it's difficult to follow along a riff that doesn't always stick to the melody, and there's so much more pressure to keep that 6x multiplier up. Ultimately the difficulty is left up to the individual. I for one think HMX did an awesome job seeing to it that everyone is equally screwed when they reach their Tier 9 tunes :)

[darkangel]

This is a statement of fact.


for you, it is a statement of fact... for me, drums are easy. I guess because I actually can keep a beat on the drums and enjoy the fact that I am almost really playing the beat for the game. Rather than guitar which past medium is not possible for me, and doesnt have any feel of realism whatsoever.


this thread is an epic fail... and that is a statement of fact

[Icemage]

Ultimately the difficulty is left up to the individual. I for one think HMX did an awesome job seeing to it that everyone is equally screwed when they reach their Tier 9 tunes :)
...except for the fact that quite a few vocals charts are either virtually impossible or impossible to FC because of broken talkies. Aside from that, I agree with you.

[sitbooboosit]

I'm pretty good at both guitar and drums, but I'd have to agree that drums are harder. I've only GSed 3 songs on drums on expert, and I played nothing but drums for about 5 months straight. I then decided to pick up the guitar and I five starred 3 of my first 5 songs in about the 6th-tier range.

[Young_Era]

well im kind of and expert drummer i mean i still have to work on it but i agree drums are reall the hardest.

[sarysa]

Ultimately the difficulty is left up to the individual. I for one think HMX did an awesome job seeing to it that everyone is equally screwed when they reach their Tier 9 tunes :)

I wouldn't say that. I actually breezed through Tier 9 vox (messed up Long Time's end a couple times though) because those are the songs that trapped me on the Drums. :D

In fact a few times I'd say "[bleep!] it" on expert drums RttH and just mockingly sing the tune.

Nowadays I sing RttH better than tier 1 Weezer, because Weezer hits notes out of my range. Gah.

[masterantonio]

Drums are the hardest for me, I'm struggling through hard tour now. I get all sweaty, my foot gets cramped and I can only 3 star most songs on hard. Guitar I'm also on hard, I can't beat the final tier on hard. Vocals are super easy for me, also the most fun. I fc gold stared the testament song today first time I sang it. It depends on the person, but I think it's fairly easy to sing most songs with the exception of talkie parts, the cars, the who, and boston.

I don't know if I'll ever beat guitar or drums on expert.

[woodwindpizza]

drums are hard: practice.
you're a jerk: out the door mister!

[kaylay1234]

He is a jerk.

[tpalen7]

He is a jerk.

Who is a jerk? Vocal singers don't get upset becaue you can hmmm and sing different notes to get through a song, when drummers have to be spot on. We can't "fake" our way through songs.

[Redundo]

Vocals for me can't sing for crap

[Highlandlassie1]

Vocals are much harder if you actually sing the song as the original artist intended.
No humming or octave changes allowed.
Real singers dont cheat their way through a song.
This coming from someone who is great on drums, and plastic guitar, but was forced into vocals because no one else could do it.

Any monkey can beat on drums, you have to have real talent to sing, it really cant be learned like drums or plastic guitar.

Want a real challenge?

Sing and play drums at the same time.

I can, but it is not what you call enjoyable.

[hamthegreat]

Despite playing GH games since launch day of GH1(i got it because i loved Freq/Amp), I found the drums to be the easiest to get the hang of. Drums and guitar are both easy to get the hang of, while vocal are by far the hardest.

[Mex]

Any monkey can beat on drums, you have to have real talent to sing, it really cant be learned like drums or plastic guitar.

This is not really true.

[KoofNoof]

ehhh, i think guitar is the hardest. this is coming from a drummer too, haha

[Kobal2]

Who is a jerk? Vocal singers don't get upset becaue you can hmmm and sing different notes to get through a song, when drummers have to be spot on. We can't "fake" our way through songs.

Vocal singers ? As opposed to anal ones ?
Oh yes we caaaaaan. It's called "ignoring the notes that are bothersome". Like I Get By's second kick :)

With that said, what's with the graverobbing kaylay ?

[illgreen]

Vocals are much harder if you actually sing the song as the original artist intended.
No humming or octave changes allowed.
Real singers dont cheat their way through a song.

Any monkey can beat on drums, you have to have real talent to sing, it really cant be learned like drums or plastic guitar.

C'mon. Any "monkey" like an 8 year old Jason Bonham? And don't singers go through singing "classes" to hone thier skills too? I have respect for singers as well as any musical artist out there. Give credit where credit is due.

Drum are easiest for me, then bass, guitar, and finally vocals. But I also don't have a singing voice.

[cdestey]

Just as some people have no vocal abilities, some people have no rhythm.

[Mex]

Just as some people have no vocal abilities, some people have no rhythm.

Tis true.

Also, grab someone off the street and set them down with RB. The one thing that they probably have done before is sing along to a song. It's probably the most "natural", compared to guitar and drums.

[ChodTheWacko]

Any monkey can beat on drums, you have to have real talent to sing, it really cant be learned like drums or plastic guitar.


I agree with most of your post but this last statement isn't true.
There is a quite a bit of technique in singing. Sing with bad technique and
you make high/low notes a LOT harder, not to mention running out of breath
(although you lose sustain first) if you have poor breath control.

I think of all of them, however, it may be the hardest to learn if you don't have the knack for it. How do you teach someone who is tone deaf? Although teaching someone how to keep a beat (and they can't) is very hard too.

- Frank

[0tj]

It's all a matter of preference. I Personally CANNOT sing worth a crap. I can beat one song on Expert vocals(Paranoid), and I still got like a 30%. Drums are probably easier for me than Guitar(granted, I am a real life Drummer, so it kinda makes sense). Bass is obviously the easiest, but I'm not counting that.

It's all up to your strengths, your experience, and your rythym.

[Magnet]

This topic really didn't need to be bumped, especially not with that comment. (I'm referring to the "jerk" post.)