(Translated to English)
Fast , but Furious?
For the non-drummers amongst us it sometimes can be very
interesting to discover the world of drummers. When your drummer is bitching
and moaning again about the ridiculous importance of singers and guitar players,
next time mention the name of Tim ‘Silver Feet’ Waterson - the man
known as the fastest kick drummer in the world. Waterson, aka The Drumcan Man,
has his name in the Guinness Book of Records for being the Fastest Drummer with
his feet. Tim’s record, which he achieved in 2002, consists of 1,407 double-strokes
per minute. Every 60 seconds he hits each bass pedal 704 times. For this master
trick Tim developed a so-called heel-toe technique.
The idea is called speed drumming or Extreme Sport Drumming*!
A device called the Drumometer? was developed so one can measure these special
achievements. The Drumometer was inspired by Barret Deems - a drummer who played
with Louis Armstrong. Deems stated to be World’s Fastest Drummer at the
NAMM show in 1975. Buddy Rich, who played drums with Frank Sinatra and Duke
Ellington, was present at the show and wondered how Deems could make such a
bold statement without proper scientific evidence. Boo McAffe, also present,
came up with the idea for the Drumometer. In the year 2000 (25 years later)
after teaming up with drummer and electrical engineer, Craig Alan, the device
became available. And this device counted the 1,407 bpm which Tim Waterson produced.
This somewhat clownish act was staged in a Las Vegas
setting. At the highpoint of the evening Tim received the WFD champion belt.
WFD means World's Fastest Drummer*. ‘If he had wings he could fly’
is the quoted in his instruction
video. Although this remark is dubious the question remains, Why? Because
it is possible? Is it a sport, a natural rat race for the best performance?
There is no doubt it will contribute to a Darwinist adventure in drummer land.
But is it still music?
* WFD, World's Fastest Drummer, and Extreme Sport Drumming
are registered service marks and trademarks of Alan-McAfee, Inc.
Musicmaker Holland
L.Pietersen / M.Postema
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