Michigan Teen Wins 'World's Fastest Drummer' Competition

August 8, 2006

The Associated Press reports that 16-year-old Matt Smith (photo),who will be a junior this fall at Grand Blanc High School, won the Battle of the Hands category in the summer session of the World's Fastest Drummer contest last month in Austin, Texas.

In January, Smith took second place in the world competition in Anaheim, Calif., before returning for another attempt at the championship in Texas. He made 1,030 beats per minute for the win.

"I used to have a mentor in Romania from when I lived overseas for a couple of years, and he'd make me do single strokes and other rudiments for long periods of time without stopping," Smith told The Flint Journal.

"It helped me build my endurance, and that is the main key with speed drumming. Usually, after a few seconds, people's arms get tensed up and blood vessels start popping. Then they just give up."

Smith, who has been drumming for seven years, also dabbles in other instruments, such as the piano and vibes. His father and grandfather play the trombone, while his mother plays the saxophone.

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