When Matt Smith plays the drums, his sticks move far too fast for the human eye to see. Fortunately, there's a device called a Drumometer that measures speed-drumming, and has now measured Smith as the world's fastest drummer.

Smith, 18, lives in Rome, Ga., and will start at Atlanta Institute of Music soon. Drumming since he was 9, and the son and grandson of professional jazz musicians, he's rather blase about his new record.

Marcos Casiano/AJC Special (ENLARGE)

Matt Smith of Rome -- the son and grandson of musicians -- hopes to attend Julliard and have his own jazz band.

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"It was in some bar, I can't remember," he says. (It was a regional speed-drumming competition run by Extreme Sports Drumming at Rutledge's in Nashville on June 26. "Tens of thousands" of drummers have competed since 1999, says founder Boo McAfee.)

"I don't want to just be the World's Fastest Drummer kid," he adds. "I'm a set player." He hopes to attend Julliard and have his own jazz band.

Smith played 1,132 strokes in 60 seconds to beat the old record for the traditional grip, in which the right uses an overhand grip and the left uses an underhand grip.

MATT SMITH'S TOP 5 DRUMMERS
Smith is as old-school as they come. When we asked him to list his Top 5 drummers, four of them were known for jazz and all five are dead.
• Tony Williams. Very technical and had a very fluid fast swing on the ride cymbal. And he was a drummer for Miles Davis.
• Elvin Jones. Used many African rhythmic variations in his playing. Always unleashing a storm of sound.
• Buddy Rich. Just overall the best drummer in the world, without question.
• Art Blakey. Had a hard drive to his playing, and was the first drummer I actually played along to with a CD.
• John Bonham. He was doing way more with the drum kit than any other rock drummer at the time.