HBCU VS DCI Drumlines - Which Is Better? Again...Does It Matter?

Before we get into this debate, if you didn’t know what HBCU stands for, it is “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” and I know you’ve seen an HBCU Drumline before. If you’ve seen the movie “Drumline,” those are HBCU Bands and Drumlines you see featured in the movie.

So, when stacking up HBCU against DCI or Drum Corps style drumlines, how do they stack up?

HBCU Drummers definitely have chops.

HBCU Drummers definitely play with good technique.

HBCU Drummers have technique and have great focus.

So what is better?

I don’t know…does it matter?

If you have fully examined the HBCU style and decide that it’s not your cup of tea, that’s totally ok.

What’s not ok is deciding that a certain style or approach is inferior simply because it is different than your own.

Personally, even though my back ground is Drum Corps style, I can certainly appreciate and respect elements of HBCU style drumming.

I love the swagger that they play with.

I love that they have Drumline Battles.

I love that they can hold an audience’s interest at a sports event (not easy to do).

What do you think? Are there elements of HBCU that you can respect or maybe even learn from that will benefit your drumming skill set? For further perspective, make sure you check out the video below: