Drumming Gig With Students From Belgium

 So I did another drumming gig with a school in George, Outeniqua High School...

There was a foreign exchange program coming to ts end...so the South African learners took their Belgian counterparts on a tour in a "Loxion"(Location - also called a settlement or township)
where the local people invited them into their shack homes, and danced for them when they left each house....what an amazing experience!!!

 The first photo is a picture of the set up that I used...25 Drums in a big circle, with a skinless shell on display....When I start my drum session(it was done as a Team Building Exercise), I always start by introducing the Djembe, telling them how its made(Machine - Lathe - made drums versus hand carved drums)...what type of skins are used, and a little history about the Djembe.

 Then we start our actual drumming by playing the three basic notes on the Djembe to get them used to the hand placement for those three notes...(If you go back to my earlier posts on this blog I describe the three basic notes in quite a bit of detail)

After that we start to play full rhythms from Ta-Ka-Doem-Ta...to...Heartbeat Rhythms, and even some interesting Polyrythms!!!

At a point in the session when I can see that everyone has got the general understanding of how to play the Djembe, I split the group into three smaller groups...give them 5mins to come up with their very own rhythm.  As you can imagine they compete fiercely with each other and I stir the pot a bit by going over to each group and telling them more or less what I want to hear.  Look how hard they are all concentrating...hehehe


This is the entire group once we were done...tired hands but happy faces...

I am so grateful that what I do for a living is, not only my passion, but it brings joyful memories to people that will not be forgotten for a very long time...

I am privileged to become a small part of all my drum students lives!!!!....




Should you want any more info on my Team Building Drum Sessions please feel free to email me on daniel@djembeman.co.za or even phone me on +2782958482!

Thank you for enjoying my blog with me!

Enjoy your day further!

Daniel Nicholson A.K.A "Djembeman"

"Muzo" Party...

So this was a fun jam at one of my drum students homes...she is 70 years old this year...has decided to learn to play 6 musical instruments, and is also going through lessons on her RECORDING STUDIO that she has recently set up for herself...

She offered to use her home as a venue for a "Muzo Party"...

Amazing random meeting of an amazing muzo!!!!

So I believe in having my djembe with me WHEREVER I go, and I am simply not shy at all...so I often just sit somewhere and watch the crowds walk by while I drum in my own little world in my head...

This being said, I quite often meet interesting people on my journey in life...

This man was very cool...we chatted and chatted for almost an hour...he gave me tips on drumming styles and hand placements,etc...

He is the drummer for an old 70's band called "Four Jacks and a Jill"...if you have'nt heard of them please google them...old school music but awsome South African Band!!!

I've been invited to his house to have a jam with him - he still has a couple of drum kits - but sadly he wasn't feeling too well when I tried to arrange it...

Will post videos and pics as soon as we have a jam together!!!!

So this was a fun jam at one of my drum students homes...she is 70 years old this year...has decided to learn to play 6 musical instruments, and is also going through lessons on her RECORDING STUDIO that she has recently set up for herself...

She offered to use her home as a venue for a "Muzo Party"...

 Lew behind the drum kit...he's been a drummer for more than 40years and still plays for a band...

In the lounge we had, Drum Kit, Congo/Bongo Set, 5/6 Djembes, 3 Guitars, 1 Cello and 2 pianos(one of them being a beautiful HUGE Grand Piano)

 Lew's Wife Sandy, on the Bongo/Congo set...

Lorraine, my drum student who owns the house, one the Black Mamba Toca Djembe...

 Wesley Wolhuter on Cello and Piano...he has already reached quite a successful point in his music career...what a amazing musician!!!!

And...of course...me behind a piano...I play(in an amateur way)37 different instruments...but professionally on Djembe!!!

Bet you didn't see that one coming...hehehe


Thank you Lorraine for an awsome jam and muzo party!!!!

Axel and Daddy playing with the band...

I hope you all enjoy this short clip...

During band practice at a friends house(Lew Wollhuter), my son decided that he ain't sitting around...he fetched his own drum, walked inbetween speakers, cables, amps, guitars, drumsets,pumping music, etc etc etc...found a place right next to his Dad...and just joined in with the band practice...

Note that at a point the music stops for 4 notes...but notice how Ax kept those four notes in a perfect time signature...

Ladies and Gentleman and Fellow Muzo's....introducing the next generation musician right here!!!!!

In this video he is about a year and a half!

Soul Kitchen Band Practice

So a friend of mine, Craig Gardner, and myself started a band called Soul Kitchen...

This is a about 6months after we officially started the band...we finally bought a PA System, and this was the first time we took it home to test          it out...

Drumming gig at Milkwood Villiage, Wildernis, South Africa

 So thiese are a bunch of my fellow drummers from around the Garden Route...we got together and put on a drumming show at Milkwood Villiage in Wildernis.

We played for about 2 hours and had an absolute blast....here are the guys:

To the right is Zen and Daniel Chippendale(Zen on the Xhosa Dun Dun and Dan on Djembe)

To the left is Myself on the far right...behind me is Pat!...I've known Pat for close on 13years now, and his style of drumming lends itself to the American Indian Tribal Chanting Rhythms...pretty awsome stuff!!!




Here's the one and only Pat:

 Here is Zen playing on the wooden flute...What an amazing musician Zen is as well...not only is he a drummer, but plays the flute, the panpipe and also the didgeareedoo...and a few more but I'm uncertain of the names....

And of course...no show is complete without an adoring audience....thank you to Lauren Mcdonald at Milkwood Villiage for allowing us to make some noise and have a lot of fun doing it!!!...

We hope to do many more in the future!!!!

Charity Drumming at Downtown Music

 I did a gig at Downtown Music in George.

This gig was the 3rd Annual Charity Gig for Child Welfare, that I've organized and hosted.  EdenFM(a local radio station)was also there and played several spots live on air...

This is my friend and fellow drummer, Zane...we did a Djmembe Duo using Polyrhythms to make music!

 My Son, Axel Dean Nicholson, the next generation drummer attends ALL my daytime events...this is his "impressed" face when the jam goes well!!!!...

 Here is a nice angle of the EdenFM radio Jockeys...

We had a great day and even though we did not get much funds in from the event, we had a great public response...even from callers phoning in on air...

It definately got some interesting statistics from the Child Welfare out to the public ear.

Axel at just under two years old, kept going to my banner and pointing at the pic of me...then pointing at me....obviously loving seeing two "Drummer Daddy's" in the same place at once!!!!

He even did a bit of posing at my vehicle...little dude knows how to do the cute thing hey!!!!