The Soli Pathway – Weeks 1–9

This first series focuses entirely on the Soli Pathway: a grounded, flowing version of the 12/8 feel that influences how phrases land, how the groove moves, and how your hands begin to relax into the music.
A second series will follow later, exploring the other 12/8 pathway.

These videos build one step at a time.
Each week adds a new layer.
Each groove prepares your hands, ears and instincts for what comes next.

This blog brings together Weeks 1–9 of the Soli Pathway in one place so you can follow the series from start to finish.
(Week 10 — The Big One — has its own dedicated blog coming next.)

So grab a drum (or a table!) and enjoy the journey.

WEEK 1 — Two Paths, Two Feelings

This first lesson sets the whole pathway in motion.
We explore the two different “roads” inside the 12/8 feel — something that’s easy to overlook but completely changes how a rhythm sits in the body.
It’s a gentle start, but it gives you the foundation you’ll use in every video that follows.

→ When you’ve explored these two feelings, you’re ready for the next step.

WEEK 2 — ‘Kanki Ta’ – Essential Groove & Hidden Feel

“Kanki Ta” is one of the simplest ways into the ternary world, but it already carries the character of the Soli Pathway. In this lesson, I explore how the short–medium–long swing shapes the rhythm, and how that internal shift changes its feel.

Beginners can focus on coordination; more experienced players can listen for the subtle movements inside the groove.

WEEK 3 — Feel the Pinch (‘Katikita’ Breakdown)

Here we explore Katikita — a groove with a beautifully “pinched” inner feel created by accents and timing.
This lesson shows how small shifts can give the rhythm shape and character, especially within the Soli Pathway where subtlety matters.

It’s not about adding notes; it’s about adding life.

WEEK 4 — Three Flowing Grooves from Kala

In this video we explore Kala — a joyful rhythm from the Soli family. The lesson looks at three accompaniment patterns that share the distinctive before-the-beat feeling often found in Soli-style grooves.

It’s a flowing set of patterns that helps bridge the earlier material with the more challenging ideas still to come.

WEEK 5 — Garangedon

Garangedon is a traditional rhythm associated with the shoemakers’ caste in Mali, and the version here comes through Mamady Keïta, who brought it into the wider djembe repertoire from Guinea.

What makes it so compelling is the way it captures the Soli Rapide feel — that slight lean before the pulse, creating the suspended, rolling swing that defines so much of this pathway.

In the video we break down the key accompaniment phrase and look at how this subtle shift gives the rhythm its characteristic energy and flow.

WEEK 6 — Joining Up the Djembe Dots

This video picks up directly from Garangedon, exploring a small variation on that groove and tracing how the same before-the-pulse accent appears across other djembe and dundun patterns.

It’s a useful rhythmic touchpoint that shows how the Soli pathway connects so many grooves in the 12/8 family. The aim here is to join up the djembe dots — to hear how this shared feeling flows through melody, rhythm and pulse.

WEEK 7 — Setting the Groove Free

This video takes the Garangedon-inspired ideas from the previous section and begins to loosen them. Up to now we’ve joined the dots between variations; here the focus shifts to avoiding getting stuck in any one version.

Once the classic accent-before-the-beat feeling is in your hands, you can start adding phrases, changing sounds and introducing small spontaneous shifts that move the rhythm toward solo phrasing.

It’s about keeping the same pulse but opening space for expression and play — letting the pattern feel alive rather than fixed.

WEEK 8 — Bass, Flow & Freedom

This video continues directly from the previous section, but now the focus shifts to how bass placement can deepen and open up the groove. Subtle changes in where the bass lands begin to transform the accent-before-pulse feel we explored earlier, creating new levels of flow and freedom.

We’re still inside the 12/8 pocket, but this session takes things further — offering more ways to connect your phrases, ride the groove and begin to improvise with confidence.

WEEK 9 — Liberté Doubles

This video uses the rhythm Liberte as a bridge toward the more complex Soli-style accompaniment that follows. Although not a Soli rhythm, it offers a clear framework for developing the in-between doubles — the quick hand-to-hand notes that sit between the main pulse.

These doubles appear often in Soli-style grooves, so this session focuses on the timing and feel that make that movement easier to control.

What Comes Next? Week 10 — The Big One

Weeks 1–9 form a complete introduction to the Soli Pathway — one side of the 12/8 world.
Week 10 is where everything comes together.

It’s the longest, most detailed lesson in the series and the one that has resonated most with viewers so far. Because of its importance, it has its own dedicated blog post, which will be live shortly.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re more than ready for the final step — keep an eye out, Week 10 is on its way.

Sharing the journey

I’m always exploring new ways to develop solo phrasing and technique — and this roll has been a really enjoyable challenge. Sharing these ideas through video is part of how I keep the learning alive and offer something that others might find useful or inspiring in their own playing.

If you’d like to support the channel and help keep the rhythm flowing, you can buy me a coffee here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/unbeatableenergy

Thanks for reading — and happy drumming!

-Steve Rivers

Exploring Kaloo – Djembe, Dunduns & Multitasking

In this new video, I walk through Kaloo’s djembe and dundun parts, slowly unpacking the structure and phrasing. After demonstrating the dunduns, I have a go at one of my favourite challenges: playing and singing at the same time – a playful way to internalise the arrangement and help others feel how the layers fit together.

If you’ve played Kaloo before, I’d love to hear how and where you learnt it. And if it’s new to you, I hope this helps bring you closer to Mamady’s rich and vibrant musical world.

Sharing the journey

I’m always exploring new ways to develop solo phrasing and technique — and this roll has been a really enjoyable challenge. Sharing these ideas through video is part of how I keep the learning alive and offer something that others might find useful or inspiring in their own playing.

 If you’d like to support the channel and help keep the rhythm flowing, you can buy me a coffee here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/unbeatableenergy

Thanks for reading — and happy drumming!

-Steve Rivers