ZILLS, ZILLS, ZILLS..........
Finger cymbals are first and foremost a musical instrument.
Finger cymbals are also called zills and sagats.
They are used quite alot in belly dance and it is said that a really
good belly dancer should be able to dance whilst playing zills.
They come in a set of four and should be place upon the thumbs
and the middle fingers.
They come in different kinds of metals including brass and come in
different sizes,qualities and prices.
For beginners just starting out in the art of belly dance and zill
playing the more inexpensive kind will be fine for practice but
for the more experienced professional dancer the larger better
quality and more expensive ones should be played.
For the beginner zills should have two holes in the centre of the zill. Elastic
should be purchased from any fabric shop. Feed the elastic through the zill and secure with
a knot, fabric glue, a very small button or a very small safety pin.(ensure the elastic/knot/
glue/button/safety pin does not get in the way or inter-fear with the natural sound of the zills)
THE HISTORY OF........
Cymbals where originally known as a sacred instrument
and the word cymbal comes from the goddess Cybele.
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| A depiction of the Goddess Cybele |
They where said to be played by the ancient Babylonians
and Assyrian's. Cymbals and similar instruments have been found by archaeologists in Nimrod (Northern Iraq).
They where used throughout the Middle East, Persia, Turkey,Arabia and Northern Africa. Today
they are mainly played by Turkish dancers
but are sadly are not used by many Egyptian
dancers although
there are some dancers in Egypt who are
very skilled in this art form.
The use of zill work in dance is very old indeed and there is archaeology evidence of this dating 1st
Century CE. There are many artworks depicting the use of zill work and dancing where both Men
and Women perform.
There are also historical roots in today's Flamenco dancing that lie in Andalusia dance called
Zambra Mora (Moorish Party)Dating back 1400's. It was said to be performed barefoot with
finger cymbals.
Some flamenco dancer still use zills as part of their performance.
PLAYING THE ZILLS........
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| Ancient Egyptian female Musicians |
Zills can be played in different ways, a clacking
harsher sound, a tapping sound or a ringing tone
depending on the sound you want to achieve or
the type of music you are playing along to.
When playing zills the dominant hand should lead.
1 being the dominant
hand and 2 being the other hand. E.g. 1-2-1-2 is
R-L-R-L(right hand)
or L-R-L-R (left hand)
There are at least 18 finger cymbal rhythmic
patterns.
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| The harem dance- Alberto Rosati (1893–1971) |
HERE ARE SOME BASIC RHYTHM PATTERNS
FOR YOU TO PRACTICE.....
*QUADS
1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 (alternating)
*TRIPLETS 1-2-1-pause 1-2-1-pause 1-2-1-pause
(galloping sound, giddy up)
TRY THESE ONES YOUR SELF
*BELEDI
dum/dum/tek-a-tek/dum/tek-a-tek
CHIFTATELLI
dum/dum/tek-a-tek/dum/dum/dum
Put some music on and practice putting the rhythms together.
As soon as you pick up basic rhythms start moving around whilst
playing so you can get used to dancing whilst playing.
DON'T WORRY IF YOU FIND IT HARD AT FIRST, YOU MUSCLE
MEMORY WILL KICK IN AND YOU WILL GET THE HANG OF IT
EVENTUALLY. I SAY WHEN EVER YOU PUT THE KETTLE ON FOR
A CUPPA HAVE YOUR ZILLS NEAR BY AND PRACTICE. PRACTICE
DOES MAKE PERFECT!
TIPS...TIPS...TIPS....
1.Store zills in a small drawstring bag of your chosen fabric.
2.Make sure the elastic on your zills is secure and fits your
unique fingers comfortably ..not too tight...not too loose...just right!
3.If you have brass zills polish them, keep them looking shiny.
4.Practice Practice Practice.... until they fit you perfectly.
5.Most of all ....Enjoy :)
Check out my youtube video....
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How to play finger cymbals / Zills(introduction) Beginners belly dance Lesson 1
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Quick and easy way to learn how to play finger cymbals. This is an introduction lesson for beginners.
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