 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Finger Cymbals and Arabic Rhythms
|
Disclaimer You can play your zills any way you like, using whichever hand in whatever sequence. The article below contains suggestions rather than rules. Also, the text assumes a right handed player. For left handed players, just swap the rights and the lefts. Finger cymbals are known as Zills in Turkey and Sagat in Egypt. Click here to go straight to the rhythms Select Your Zills
If you have zills already but the straps aren't adjustable, then you can make your own straps by getting 10mm wide elastic an 8mm wide bra adjusters (I had to go on-line to find bra adjusters). Having the elastic wider than the hole and the adjuster makes them more secure. Wear Your Zills Your zills go on your thumb and your middle finger. The elastic should go over the join at the back of your nail. Once on and adjusted, give them a good ting while rotating your wrists. If they fly off or wobble round onto the back of your finger, then a bit of tightening is in order. Conversely, if your fingers turn blue, then perhaps a little looser. Play Your Zills You want to get a nice clear ring from your zills, so make sure they are lined up to each other and rap them together sharply, then open your fingers again immediately. To get a sweeter ring, slightly offset your fingers so that only the edges hit rather than the whole cymbal. You can also get a 'clack' sound by rapping the cymbals and leaving the fingers closed. If the noise gets a bit too much and you're upsetting the local canine population, you can muffle your zills in a number of ways. A crocheted zill cover is very attractive, for those who prefer not to sew, the end of a sock can be modified. For those like me who really hate sewing, a couple of strips of sellotape usually do the trick. Finger cymbals are played in a similar way to a Tabla (a drum that you strike with your hand). Hitting your hand flat into the middle of the drum give a 'Dum'. Slapping the edge of the drum with your fingers gives a Tek. Slapping the edge first with your right hand, then left, then right gives a 'Tek-A-Tek'. With the zills, I play 'Dums' and 'Teks' on my right hand and the 'A's on my left, so the right hand does the most work. In the text below,'R' is a ring made on the right hand, lasting one beat, 'L' is the same on the left. 'RL' are two rings together which take up 1 beat. Where the 'R' is bold, this is a 'Dum' which is an accent beat (Played loud if possible). Where the 'R' or 'L' is not in bold, they will be a 'Tek' or an 'A' Where I can, I've used a mnemonic which follows the rhythm 4/4 rhythms - 4 beats in a bar The gallop - A simple rhythm Tek-A-Tek, Tek-A-Tek Beats....1.2.3.4|
You can vary the gallop by simply missing out sections Beats... 1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4.|
Or you can run more of the Tek-A-Teks together to get Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek Beats....1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|
Or make a Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek Beats....1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|1.2.3.4|
In fact, you can do any combination that suits you Maksoom - An Egyptian Rhythm, sometimes known as Beledi Dum Dum Tek-A-Tek Dum Tek-A-Tek Example of Maksoum - Mashalla by Hossam Ramzy from Balladi Plus, Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...3...4 To join together a number of bars, add a Tek-A on the end. Beats....1...2...3...4..|1...2...3...4..| Sa'idi - Maksoom in reverse- From Southern Egypt Dum Tek-A-Tek Dum Dum Tek-A-Tek Example of Saidi- Arabian Nights by Hossam Ramzy from Balladi Plus, Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...3...4 To join together a number of bars, add a Tek-A on the end. Beats....1...2...3...4..|1...2...3...4.. 8/4 rhythms - 8 beats in a bar Masmoodi - I Often found in classical Egyptian music, similar to Maksoom in the accents but has 8 beats to the bar rather than 4. Dum Tek-A-Dum Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek Tek-A-Dum Tek-A-Tek Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek-A Example of Masmoudi - Through the Ankh by Phil Thornton
& Hossam Ramzy from Eternal Egypt. Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... The rhythm above is an awful lot to fit in, so you can alter it (and any other rhythm) any way you like, just so long as the DUMs stay on the count of one, two and five. As an example, you could play:- Dum Tek-A-Dum Tek-A-Tek Tek Tek Tek-A-Dum Tek-A-Tek Tek-A-Tek Tek Tek Tek Beats....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... Masmoodi - II The same as above, except that the DUMs are on the beats one, two, three and 5 Dum Tek-A-Dum Teka-A-Dum Teka-A-Tek Tek-A-Dum Tek-A-Tek Tek-A- Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek-A Example of Masmoudi II- Masmoudi II by Hossam Ramzy from Rhythmns of the Nile Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... Chiftitelli - A common Turkish rhythm Dum Tek Tek Tek Tek Dum Dum Tek Example of Chiftitelli- Asalia by Eddie the Sheikh Kochak from Stricktly Bellydancing Vol 5, Click on the left arrow. Example of Chiftitelli - Naila - Eddie The Sheikh Kochek- Strictly belly dancing Vol 5 Beats....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... Or Dum Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek Tek-A-Tek-A-Tek Tek-A-Dum Tek-a-Dum Tek-A-Tek Beats....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... Mnemonic... In never-never-land always understand, crocodile, with a smile, run a mile.
2/4 rhythms - 2 beats in a bar Fallahi - Egyptian Farmers Dum Tek-A Dum Tek Example of Fallahi- Desert Rhythm by Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy from Eternal Egypt Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...1...2...1...2...1 Malfouf - Often used by a dancer as entrance music. Dum Ke-Tek-A Tek Example of Malfouf - Malfouf by Hossam Ramzy from Rhythmns of the Nile Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...1...2...1...2...1 Zaar- Danced to scare away evil spirits Dum Tek-Dum-Tek Example of Zaar- The Land of the Pharaohs - Eternal Egypt - Hossam Ramzy and Phil Thornton Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...1...2...1...2...1 Mnemonic... Architecture 9/8 rhythm - 9 beats in a bar Karsilama – Gypsy dance Dum Tek-A Tek Tek-A Dum Tek-A Tek Tek Tek Example of Kashlimar - Kaslimar Anwar by Eddie the Sheik Kochak from Strictly Belly dancing Vol 5 Click on the left arrow. Beats....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9 I find this rhythm particularly difficult and find it easier to count 1..2..3..1-2-3 Beats....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9 I find it easier with this one to relax the 'dums and teks on right hand' method and go more or less for alternate hands. This means that I will start each new phrase with my right hand every time and not keep swapping one phrase on my right and then the next phrase on my left. However, you should experiment to find the combination which suits you best.
|
||
 |
