Become not only a dancer but a musician as well. Finger cymbals are really exquisite and are an art to play as well as to learn.
It takes time and work to perfect playing and dancing with them and the only way you will achieve this is through practice, practice, practice.
Finger cymbals are called Sagat in Arabic and Zills in Turkish, but for our own purposes we can simply refer to them as finger cymbals.
Finger cymbals come in different sizes, patterns and metal. The size and metal affect the tone and volume of the zills.
Arabic rhythms are described in the way a drummer would play them. With his lead hand, he makes a sound called a DUM, and with the other hand, the plays a more minor sound called a TEK. So every rhythm is broken down into a series of DUMs and TEKs.
Placing our Finger Cymbals
Our finger cymbals our placed on the thumb and on the middle finger of each hand just below the nail bed. Make sure that they are facing each other so that you can play them.
When you play your finger cymbals make sure that you hit them full on but come away straight away so that you don’t muffle the sound.
The elastic on your finger cymbals are fairly tight around your fingers. This is so that when you are playing your finger cymbals that they do not turn or move.
Please note that due to the fact that your elastic is fairly tight around your finger, the maximum time you should have your finger cymbals on when practicing at any time is 10 to 15 minutes after which you must remove them.
If you are right handed, the prominent or lead hand which will do most of the work will be your right hand when you play your finger cymbals. The same applies to left handed people.
I hope you have fun learning these finger cymbal rhythms and practice the drills often to become a true musician as a belly dancer.