Unbeatable Energy's Epic Adventure To Africa

Sidiki’s band, featuring vocalists, instrumentalists, and drummers, added a unique flavour to our workshops, creating a mesmerizing blend of rhythms and melodies. His dedication to showcasing African culture extended beyond music, with enlightening excursions and festival experiences that gave us a deeper understanding of the community.

The course far exceeded expectations, thanks to Sidiki’s commitment to authenticity and punctuality. I am eager to share the rich music and insights gained with the schools, businesses, and community groups I work with back home. This experience has been truly unforgettable, shaping my perspective on music and culture in profound ways.

by WilkesWood

Learn Classic 'Sunu' Djembe Drum Pattern

In this video, I show you a step-by-step guide to playing the Malian 'Sunu' djembe pattern. Like the classic 'Djembe Populaire' rhythm, the Sunu pattern has lots of special hand coordination techniques which provide a great foundation for tackling more challenging phrases in the future. In the process of nailing this pattern, we will have some fun by using the Quincy Jones' 'Soul Bossa Nova' (aka Austin Powers theme tune) as a way of understanding the feel of this pattern around the pulse. Enjoy!

In this video, I show you a step-by-step guide to playing the Malian ‘Sunu’ djembe pattern.

Like the classic ‘Djembe Populaire’ rhythm, the Sunu pattern has lots of special hand coordination techniques which provide a great foundation for tackling more challenging phrases in the future. In the process of nailing this pattern, we will have some fun by using the Quincy Jones’ ‘Soul Bossa Nova’ (aka Austin Powers theme tune) as a way of understanding the feel of this pattern around the pulse.

This practice video supports the learning of the Malian ‘Sunu’ rhythm. See the full breakdown of this rhythm in the video entitled ‘Learn Classic ‘Sunu’ Djembe Drum Pattern’. Play along with me as I take segments of the classic pattern to create solid grounding in the coordination.

by WilkesWood

Learning Djembe - creating a positive mindset

Learning djembe - creating a positive mindset

As I'm about to embark on a big Africa study trip adventure, I wanted to talk about learning and practising djembe and the attitude I have found useful to adopt on the way. As someone who has often fallen victim to the dreaded 'I'm not good enough' thought, this video is really about the things which motivate us to play a musical instrument. I hope some of you find it useful.