[DrummerMom]

For me I would say piano.

I can play bongos, congas, timbales, tambourines, and many more percussion instruments. Piano gives me fits!

[AvengedDrummer]

Tabla. Definately tabla. I have not played it, but I have heard it takes decades to master. (If its even possible to master it.)

[Drummer1919]

I have never herd of the tabla, I did take piano lessons for about 3 years though and I agree it is the hardest percussion insturment that I have ever played, but it really helps with playing the bells and all insturments that have notes you have to read.

[malletjazz]

Of course, technically, the piano is indeed a percussion instrument, but I'm going to set it aside for the moment, because it really is treated as an instrument unto itself.

Hard to argue with tabla - it takes months just to get a good sound out of the instrument. Add to that the fact that it utilizes a decidedly different approach to rhythm compared to what most of us are used to, and that complicates it that much more.

In terms of standard orchestral percussion, I think the toughest is timpani, just because of the challenges related to intonation.

[full metal]

me it has to be timpini and mallets. I wouldnt really say piano even though it is the same concept the mallets can be even harder like when you are trying to hold 2 mallets in each hand and playing multiple note like that, and then the timpini for the tunning aspect and how quite you have to be while trying tune the thing in the middle of a concert (always gave me a hard time)

But on that note there are still a lot of percusion insterments out there that I have never touched or played on that I would love to try.
one of the fun ones that I got to do was in japan on the tyco (wrong spelling) drums, that is a lot of fun and is a very festive drum to play on.

[gyutae]

Yeah I don't really think piano is a percussion instrument either. It just requires so many different skills that it should be classified as its own instruement as malletjazz said. You would never call a pianist a percussionist. In fact, they'd probaly be insulted or something.

I think the hardest percussion instrument to play is timpani because it requires you to use your feet to tune the drum and change the pitch. Few other percussion instruments require the player to do this. So it's something new to adjust to. Also, I think marimba is difficult because it resembles the piano and requires a lot of musical knowledge. Plus, it's pretty cool when the marimba players start playing with 4+ sticks.

[full metal]

A little off topic here but this is the wikpedia clasification for a piano


A piano or pianoforte is a musical instrument classified as a keyboard, percussion, or string instrument, depending on the system of classification used.

so I guess it could be a percusion insterment but like you said I thik you would piss off a piano player if you called them that, since you know calling anyone that plays anything other than drums a drummer they get really mad about crazy musicans

[Glynes]

I haven't tried too many things outside my kit, but my bohdran is a real challenge. The beater technique is very different then wielding sticks. I went to a clinic, and sort of got the hang of it (and found out I'm ambidextrous, which, judging from the teacher's reaction is pretty unusual ... I chalk that up to playing open-handed on my kit), but haven't practiced since. I'd love to take some lessons and make some real progress.

[gyutae]

Sorry if I'm being ignorant, but what is a bohdran?

[Mapex4Ever]

Definately for me it was timpani!!! All I could think of was driving a car and going full throttle!!!!