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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Jason Barnes

Experience: I lost my arm – now I’m one of the fastest drummers in the world

Drummer Jason Barnes is photographed at Cybernetic Sound Studio in Conyers, Ga. on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. The self-described amputee musician has a purpose-built prosthetic arm specifically for playing the drums.
‘I can play timbres and speeds other drummers can’t’: Jason Barnes with his kit. Photograph: Melissa Golden/The Guardian

The transformer exploded a few feet from where I was standing. One moment I was on the roof of a restaurant kitchen in Atlanta, cleaning exhaust vents. The next, I was on the ground, my body seizing and burned.

Before that day, music had been the centre of my life. My father was a well-known guitarist in Australia and I grew up watching him play. When I was 14 my parents bought me a drum kit for Christmas. I fell in love immediately. By 22, I was playing in two bands – one metal, one reggae – and preparing to audition for the Atlanta Institute of Music. Then I was electrocuted.

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