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john dr hot licks taylor holds urdb world record for fastest guitar playerWelcome to 'Feat of the Week,' in which our pals over at the Universal Record Database (where everyone can set a world record) hand-select one awesome world record to highlight.

When faced with a fever-stricken patient, some doctors prescribe more cowbell. Doctor Hot Licks, however, doles out a dose of guitar so fierce that it will melt your fever, along with your face, away.

John Taylor, the doctor in question, has pledged his soul to rock and roll. In addition to teaching students the finer points of finger-picking at his Colorado school of guitar and bass, Taylor dabbles in speed strumming. URDB recently handed him the world record for the fastest guitar player after witnessing his 420 BPM rendition of "The Flight Of The Bumblebee".



Feast your peepers on the frenzied finger work in this video -- after warming up with slower BPM versions, Taylor busts out the world-beating version around eight minutes in:



Unfortunately, the titular bumblebee succumbed to a heart attack despite resuscitation efforts. Vale, speed-bee.

As if his official record wasn't sufficiently impressive, Taylor recorded himself playing the piece at 500 BPM. He deems it "not good enough" for world-record status, but it's worth watching to see the fastest hands in the land.


Written by Ella Morton, a writer, actor and the host of Rocketboom NYC, a weekly web show about New York's vibrant people and places.