TEACHING DANCE, Part 10: Teaching Finger Cymbals

By Alexandra King

Egyptian Belly dance arrived in the U.S. in the 1980's. Prior to this, dancers were only familiar with Turkish belly dance and of course its child, American Cabaret style, (AmCab). Greek and Turkish immigrants arrived prior to Egyptians and set up cafes, restaurants and clubs where dance and music became a regular attraction to locals in LA, NYC, Chicago and SF. While AmCab was based on Turkish belly dance, it also adopted dance traditions from around the Middle East such as the Tunisian pot dance, Lebanese and Egyptian cane, snake, basket, sword, candle and of course, finger cymbals.

Finger Cymbals/Zagat/Zills

I learned to play finger cymbals from day one in my training, and I teach finger cymbals from day one. Why? Simple- learning a musical instrument takes time, especially when learning to dance at the same time, so waiting weeks, months or years) to learn them as a separate art is so much more difficult! Finger cymbals are an integral and essential part of belly dance – to its identity, authenticity and to the audience’s expectations and enjoyment -no matter what style it is. To get perspective, imagine flamenco without castanets. Every teacher should teach finger cymbals, but so many do not. Usually, this is because they were not taught to play them, themselves. I am often asked by fledgling teachers how to teach them so here teachers, is an outline. I hope it helps.

1. Start by teaching them the name of the instrument: Zills (Turkish) /Finger cymbals (English) /Zagat (Arabic):

2.      On Day one I show they how to put elastic one and recommend they tie a knot – not sew or pin. Knots last longer and are sturdier.

3.     Which fingers to wear them on and to turn the cymbals in towards each other.

4.      Strike each pair by sliding the middle finger down along the thumb – just like large hand-help cymbals.

5.      Play alternately R to L, (or L to R) depending on the lead hand: the dominant hand is the lead hand so one leads with either the right or left.

6.      Learn the two basic pattens: triplets and doubles. These fit into all the rhythms.

7.      Practice playing evenly in 3 tempos and in groups of 10+ times.

8.      Teach the six primary rhythms: Ayyoub, Baladi, Masmoudi, Chiftitelli, Saidi and  9/8.

9.      Practice foot work with zill-playing slowly: Step-touch hip lock; Hip Circles, etc.

10.  Add isolations and steps in after a few weeks.

It makes it more enjoyable and easier to learn if the student also learns a dance playing zills. Simple, slower dances are a good way to learn to play while dancing. The secret? There is none - just practice and patience.

Have fun! ~ Alexandra King