Consistency Counts
Consistency Counts
It’s shaping up to be a really positive season for Unbeatable Energy.
- We’ve just delivered a fantastic Afro-Samba Drum Circle with Apis Assay Technologies—energising their whole team as part of a well-being initiative.
- Corporate energiser confirmed for Specsavers.
- Upcoming bookings with Wathwood Secure Hospital, Disley Primary, Sharples Primary and Good Shepherd Primary.
- A two-day rhythm programme planned for The Cherwell School in Oxford.
What ties all of this together? Consistency.
We’ve been delivering professional rhythm-based workshops since 2004—and that experience shows. Whether it’s Boomwhackers in a boardroom, a drum circle at a well-being day, or structured sessions in schools and secure units, we show up with clarity, presence, and purpose.
No gimmicks. No borrowed formats. Just rhythm delivered properly—with energy, experience, and care.
If you’re planning a team day or looking for a meaningful well-being experience for your organisation, get in touch. We’d love to bring the energy to your next event.
Afro-Samba Drum Circle for Apis Assay: A Celebration of Team Energy
Afro-Samba Drum Circle for Apis Assay: A Celebration of Team Energy
At Unbeatable Energy, we specialise in transforming team culture through rhythm – and this recent session with the brilliant team at Apis Assay Technologies was a perfect example of just how powerful drumming can be in the workplace.
If you’re enjoying my drumming tutorials and want to support future videos, you can buy me a coffee. Every contribution helps keep the rhythm going!
Apis invited us in to deliver one of our signature Afro-Samba Drum Circles as part of their company values celebration. The theme? TEAM – and what better way to explore that than through music, movement, and shared energy?
The Afro-Samba experience blends vibrant Brazilian-style percussion with West African call-and-response elements – an approach that instantly energises the room and draws everyone into a shared rhythm. Within minutes, a group of individuals becomes a connected ensemble, responding to cues, building trust, and – most importantly – having a lot of fun. We’re proud to support forward-thinking organisations like Apis, who understand that great teamwork goes beyond meetings and metrics – it’s also about creating moments of shared experience.
Why Afro-Samba works for corporate teams:
• It’s inclusive – no musical experience required
• It promotes active listening and collaboration
• It boosts morale and dissolves barriers
• It’s ideal for conference energisers, L&D days, and staff celebrations
Looking to bring your values to life or give your next company gathering an unforgettable twist? Let’s chat.
Tough But Tasty – A 5-Beat Djembe Roll from Abidjan
Tough But Tasty – A 5-Beat Djembe Roll from Abidjan
This week I’ve shared a new YouTube video featuring a solo roll I learnt from Sidiki Dembélé while in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮. It’s a 5-beat phrase that’s been rolling around in my hands (and head!) ever since — and I thought it was time to pass it on. This one’s a little tricky at first — hence the title Tough But Tasty — but it’s well worth the effort 🥁. Once you get the feel, it opens up some exciting soloing possibilities and a lovely sense of movement.
If you’re enjoying my drumming tutorials and want to support future videos, you can buy me a coffee. Every contribution helps keep the rhythm going!
A different feel to the 4-beat roll
If you caught the “Tiddlywink” 4-beat swing roll from a few weeks back, this new phrase heads in a different direction rhythmically. It’s tighter, and more angular — with a structure that could even be interpreted as a 6-beat phrase, depending on how you hear it. That’s part of what makes it so interesting.
In the video, I walk through the roll slowly, break down the slap placements, and finish with a play-along section to help you embed it in your own playing.
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
New Beginner Djembe Lesson – Catching the Off-Beat Groove
New Beginner Djembe Lesson – Catching the Off-Beat Groove
If you’re just starting out with djembe or hand drumming, this one’s for you. In this new video lesson, I guide you through how to hear, feel, and play the off-beat — that slightly elusive but incredibly funky moment that happens just before the main beat lands. Think: “ANDAone, ANDAtwo…” If that sounds a bit mysterious, don’t worry — the lesson is designed to make it feel natural by the end.
If you’re enjoying my drumming tutorials and want to support future videos, you can buy me a coffee. Every contribution helps keep the rhythm going!
We start with body percussion (so you can follow along even without a drum), then explore different ways of playing the rhythm on the djembe, including bass note and grace note variations. And once it’s in your body, there’s a full rhythm you can groove along to.
This lesson is part of a growing series aimed at giving new drummers a strong sense of groove and confidence from the very beginning — no fast hands or fancy solos required! Timestamps are provided in the video description and pinned comment to help you jump to each section easily.
If you find it helpful, feel free to leave a comment, ask a question, or share it with someone else who’s just getting into hand drumming. And if you’d like to support future videos, you can buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/steverivers.
See you in the groove!
Unlocking the 4-Beat Roll – A New Djembe Solo Lesson
Unlocking the 4-Beat Roll – A New Djembe Solo Lesson
If you’re developing your djembe solo phrasing, this latest video is for you. It’s the second part of a growing sequence focused on solo structure and flow, and this time we’re diving into the 4-beat roll — a key technique that brings energy and movement to your playing.
If you’re enjoying my drumming tutorials and want to support future videos, you can buy me a coffee. Every contribution helps keep the rhythm going!
If you’re developing your djembe solo phrasing, this latest video is for you. It’s the second part of a growing sequence focused on solo structure and flow, and this time we’re diving into the 4-beat roll — a key technique that brings energy and movement to your playing.
Rather than just playing it fast, this lesson is all about how the roll sits within a phrase, how it connects with the groove, and how to practise it in a way that feels musical and satisfying. It builds directly on the swing Kassa-style rhythm we looked at last week.
I hope you enjoy exploring this new layer of solo phrasing. Let me know how you get on — and as always, happy drumming!
Exploring Djembe Swing: Preparing for the 4-Beat Roll
Exploring Djembe Swing: Preparing for the 4-Beat Roll
Swing is at the heart of so many West African rhythms, shaping the feel and flow of the groove in unique ways. But not all swing is the same—some rhythms have a gentle lilt, while others push into a highly swung, galloping feel.
If you’re enjoying my drumming tutorials and want to support future videos, you can buy me a coffee. Every contribution helps keep the rhythm going!
As I prepare to share a 4-beat roll phrase next week, I wanted to create a preliminary lesson to set the groundwork. In this new video, I focus on building a swing framework that will make it easier to integrate the roll into a specific swung ternary rhythm.
What’s Coming Next?
- How to develop swing and timing with grace notes
- Preparing your hands for a 4-beat djembe roll
- How swing can feel different depending on the rhythm
Last weekend, I attended Billy Konaté’s workshop and Billy demonstrated a Sofa family rhythm with a noticeably extreme gallop-like swing. This reminded me just how much variation exists in ternary swing—some rhythms have a very relaxed feel, while others have an almost horse-riding gallop to them!
This upcoming 4-beat roll phrase fits within a specific type of swung Kassa-like rhythm, so this first lesson focuses on getting that swing feel locked in before moving on to the roll itself.
Let me know what you think—what are your favourite types of swing? Have you come across rhythms with a strong gallop like this?
Djembe Solo Secrets: Master the 3-Beat Roll & Accent Flow
Mastering the Flam on Djembe ♫ – A Must-Know Technique for Drummers
Djembe soloing is all about feel, phrasing, and expression—and one technique that can unlock new possibilities is the 3-beat roll. In my latest lesson, I break down how to integrate this roll into solo phrasing and how the accent placement affects the groove.