11-year-old beats record to claim title of world’s fastest drummer

By Fiona Jackson via SWNS

An 11-year-old boy has been named the world’s fastest drummer after striking a drum 2,370 times in just 60 seconds.

Pritish A R had to drum at a staggering 39.5 beats per second to get the Guinness World Record.

The boy from Sydney, Australia, would practice for an hour before and after school, as well as six hours on the weekend, in order to claim the title.

He said: “Seeing the setup and taking my seat to start the attempt, I was a little scared and nervous.

“It was a thrilling experience, and when the minute was over, I was super excited to hear I got to 2,370 beats.

“Age is no bar for achieving what you want, only the love to do what you want matters!”

He first started learning the drums at age five in the music program at his school, but mom Aarthi Rajesh Kumar, 36, noticed that Pritish would move when she was listening to music while pregnant with him.

He said: “I used to make sounds using my toys, and sometimes I’d take the kitchen utensils to the living room and keep making sounds.

"When I got upset as a little baby, my mother use to play a song that she used to listen often when I was in her tummy to settle me.

"Even now when I hear the song, it makes me feel good and relaxed.”

The musical prodigy excelled in lessons and performances to his astounded school pals, and soon started private tutoring on electric and acoustic drum kits.

“I got to spend more time with them and enjoyed and felt comfortable playing, and I realized that drums is my core,” he said.

“I don’t like to keep my hands idle and it takes more energy to play compared to other musical instruments.”

He was only ten years old when he passed his Grade 8 drumming exam – the highest possible level you can take in music.

In April last year he decided that he wanted to take it to the next level and try for a Guinness World Record, which he achieved in December.

Pritish spent seven months practicing nearly every day to improve his speed and muscle strength to maintain a rapid drumbeat.

He would play for about 20 minutes at a time on different drums like his snare and toms, but also practiced on strange surfaces like the concrete floor and cushions.

Mom Aarthi and dad Rajesh Kumar C G, 37, would record Pritish's rate while he practiced, and once he was regularly achieving over 2,350 beats in a minute, he was ready for his attempt.

His drum was attached to a drummometer and a pressure sensitive microphone that accurately recorded his number of strikes.

Two weeks later, Pritish received the news that he had officially claimed the title after beating the previous record of 2,109 drumbeats in a minute, set in 2017 by Siddharth Nagarajan.

Pritish said: “I was super excited to hear the results, the new year couldn’t start any better!”

Pritish wants to continue learning the drums and pursue a degree in music in the future, along with releasing his own music.