Zills (Finger Cymbals)
Zills (Finger Cymbals)
--Robyn
Stand in place and dance with your arms. Slowly curve them up overhead as you play. Describe all kinds of graceful arcs with them. Do snake arms / cobra arms / whatever you call them: out to the sides, directly in front, going straight up overhead. Try starting with your arms down at your sides, and play while you sweep one in a big arc to the side and up overhead, then the other arm. Then the first one down and the next one down. Alternate other things like that.
Then walk and sweep your arms around. Turn in place. Turn the other way. Add hip circles and hip lifts. Trade off between hip lifts and hip circles. Think of more things like that. And keep playing those zills!
Gradually you'll be able to do more complex arms and walks...and what is
dancing if not walking with style?
Marjan
When you are really sure with this!!! begin to turn, make "a little
dance". Then take a simple Rhythm (Ayoub or something like this). Play the
rhythm while going, while dancing, when you're really sure whith this!!!!!,
learn the fill ups and the figures and the different styles to play.
You have to go slowly really step by step. Remember: when dancing with the
zills, don't play them all the time, it is an effect, play them whith
certain parts of the music you dance whith and when dancing change the
style from time to time, otherwise it could be a little enervating to your
audience.
Wish you a lot of rhythm!
Aisha
I learned the zills -- madethe big breakthrough -- while still a baby dancer,
sitting on my butt for 18 hours in a Greyhound bus on my way from visiting
a friend at school. I didn't even have zills on or a tape playing, but by
the time I got homw I could play my fingers to the music in my head, and that
was the big moment for me. Everything else went smoothly in my learning
process. (Of course, the people on the bus probably thought I was autistic or
something . . . ;-)
For most people the sticking point is playing while dancing, and the previous
postings address that very well. Do simple moves, focus on the zill playing,
but keep moving even if your movements seem awkward, and keep playing the zills
even if what you end up doing doesn't look very much like dance.
It's bad to look stupid on stage. Looking stupid in class or while practicing
alone isn't a problem. It's part of the learning process.
The other thing I would say is, work on increasing your level of musical
connections with the zills. Listen to what the zill players on your tapes
sound like. Some of the best zilling to work from, in my mind, comes from
old Eddie Kochak lp's -- it's Ibrahim Farrah playing the zills, and he plays
them remarkably. If you can hear really good zilling, and if you start
to think of what you do as music, that moves you to another level. It may not
directly get you over the hump of playing and dancing, but it improves your
skill and your comfort with the instrument.
My analogy: think of a ballet dancer trying to learn balance beam, and an
ordinary, untrained person trying to learn the same thing. Who would learn
faster? Likewise, the good zill player will have a better chance at dancing
well with zills, if she understands them as musical instruments.
Another thing -- the zills are an expressive instrument as well as a rhythm
source. Try taking a pose and letting your zills reflect the music; really
focus on projecting your personality and feelings along with the sound. Maybe
you'll find arm movements or changes in poses starting to happen . . .
Nothing beats just plain getting up and zilling while dancing, prioritizing the
zills.
But using your zills more expressively, as an instrument, *in the first place*,
lets them take their place as your accompaniment in the dance. Also, you will
never get stuck in boring, repetitive patterns if you're sensitive to zill
music . . .
And if anyone doubts the advantages of playing zills (and well) -- I have
danced in any number of venues where, for one reason or another, the sound
system failed -- I have saved myself several times by zilling for music while
kind folks struggled to get teh music on again, or playing to music that was
almost inaudible but the audience could still get into it because they could
hear my zills at least . . .
Muscial subtleties or quick save, zills are worth the work.
Andrea Deagon
--Cheshme Bulbul
--Robyn
Wish you a lot of rhythm!
There is no easy way to choose a pair. If you plan to buy only
one then you need to be very careful. Finger cymbals or Zills
come in a variety of sizes and metals & the price usually reflects
the quality of the pair. I recommend to my students to invest
in a good brand name. I prefer Saroyan brand because they carry
a variety at reasonable prices. There are other quality brands
but these are the ones I know best, so I will break them down
for you.
One of the things to consider when choosing a pair of zills is
that they are are be played. They are not just a pretty
ornament at the end of your fingers! Therefore, pitch & tone
is your major consideration. Most zills are constructed of
brass, some are silver and others are a delicate mix of many
metals. You need to know that the higher the tone the longer
the sound carries. When dancing consider the size of the
area and how many people are in the space. If you dance to
a crowded hall I recommend a high pitch pair, if you dance in
a home then you will probably want a more mellow tone pair.
Often how I feel also affects my selection of my zills. If
I feel great and am doing a super fast piece then I want
a medium to heavy weight zill. However, if I have had a
killer of a day, you can bet that I'll be using my lightest
pair!
To help you in choosing what is right for you, you need to
ask some questions first. How large are your hands? Do
high pitches bother you? Are your wrist weak? Do your
hands tire easily? Can you distinguish low mellow tones?
How often do you plan to dance with your zills? Where do
you plan to use your zills? When you have the answers to
these questions then you can think about selecting a pair
of zills. Remember they are a musical instrument that
you will use to enhance your performance!
As I said Saroyan Brand is what I recommend - I have no
connection to the Company, other than doing business
with them for many years now. Here is a brief listing
of what they offer and my personal recommendations about
each one - Hope this helps in choosing a pair. [
Thais Banu
Response 3
When you learn it: NEVER!!!!!! play the zills, when you're sitting!!!!!
The first step is a simple tack while you are going, make the tack by
every step, then between to steps, find your own rhythms.
Response 4
I would recommend you to practice, with just the zills, so much that
playing them is an almost automatic process (so you don't have to
think about how to play them). Then start practicing with very simple
steps/movements.
Response 5
People have different ways of understanding and learning about rhythm, so no
one technique works for everyone, and some processes may work a lot faster
for you than others.
Response 6
Speaking of odd places to practice zills -- I am told I was not the only
commuter to zill while driving. Don't do this at home, kids!
Answers: Types of Zills
Zill suppliers, like Saroyan and Turquoise International, are listed on the Costuming, Etc. page; videos/Musicians are listed on the Media page.
Response 1
Re: Zill size, I prefer to work with my Nefertitis
(Saroyan). I believe that they are about 2 1/4". This size seems to
work well for most venues. For learning drum rhythms, I highly recommend
Michael Beach's [of Brothers of the Baladi, a musician group] video, Basic Middle Eastern Rhythms Vol. I.
Response 2
Before you buy zills, you should check the sound. It should be clear, not too
loud and it shouldn't tinkle too long. For the performing indoors I prefer
the american form, what means the diameter about 5 or 6 cm. Important: they
should have 2 holes for the ruban [ribbon]. The turkish form is also very nice and
has a good sound, but they are large and for playing very fast, I find it
uncomfortable.
Response 3
Several kind souls have posted with suggestions on how to improve
your zill work but so far I have seen no one answer about the
many different styles and how to choose a pair of zills. If
possible I will attempt to tackle this one!
I hope this helps you in your selection.
Peace,
