I Need Zill Lessons!

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Rachy

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Anyone have any reccomendations.

Should I just ask my teacher?

Is there a good video?

I would benefit more from HEARING it rather than reading it.
 

Maria_Aya

New member
Ask Chryssanthi Sahar, she is the zill-master !!!!!!
And we are lucky in greece having her at sept for a workshop for arabian style zills :D

Maria Aya
 

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
Yes, talk with your teacher . For outside resources
here are two links--------

http://www.cyberlepsy.com/sounds.htm

http://www.shira.net/advice.htm#Zills

The Mary Ellen Donald books and tapes are excellent.

Good luck and have fun!!!!!!!!!!
The top link is "Zills on Fire" - and I can recommend it highly. Spend the 20 bucks and buy the CD. You can put the selected rhythm on track repeat to your hearts content. Their booklet is quite good.

And of course, Shira's article is very good.
 

Leyla

New member
That's interesting...I love zills, but I only had four or five hours stage on them and I find very difficult to play them, not talking about playing them and dancing together :D !
My teacher doesn't like zills and she never uses them, so I'll try to exercise with one of these video ... :)
Thanks!
 

chryssanthi sahar

New member
I don't know according to which system those videos teach zills, but I learned zills with the Arabian technique 18 years ago, directly from an Arabian musician and I must say, that if you have understood the Arabian system of zills, it is not difficult at all to play them. I can play the zills very well and there is no performance I do, where I don't play zills with at least one song. But according to the Arabian system there are rules when you play zills and when not. You cannot play zills at all rhythms, when you dance. There are certain rhythms with which you can play them, and others where you shouldn't even dare to touch the zills:D
I'm going to give a workshop on zills in Athens at the 9th of September. In case somebody happens to be there at that time and is interested in participating, ask Maria Aya for more information:)
 

Yshka

New member
Your workshop sounds interesting Chryssanthi, but unfortunately I cannot come to Greece that soon:(

But this thing you say about not playing zills to all rhythms.. This makes me wonder. Which rhythms are absolutely not-allowed to play zills to?

Yshka
 

chryssanthi sahar

New member
Your workshop sounds interesting Chryssanthi, but unfortunately I cannot come to Greece that soon:(
I give such workshops also in Germany 2-3 times a year. And, if there is enough interest, one can hire me for such a workshop in her own country/city;)

But this thing you say about not playing zills to all rhythms.. This makes me wonder. Which rhythms are absolutely not-allowed to play zills to?

Yshka

For example all slow rhythms (Chifteteli/Taksim, Masmoudi kabir etc.) as well as all very quick rhythms (Ayub, Malfouf etc.). Basically you can play zills at all 4/4 rhythms, especially Saidi and Ballady(Maqsoum). I'm talking of course about the Arabian system. The Turkish dancers play zills also at slow rhythms as well as at 9/8 Karshlama.
 

paola

New member
zills

Hi,

I can't dance without zills, I use them from forever, the ones I use and technique I use are Turkish. I prefere Turkisch zills becaouse of the "hat shape'and the curl they have. Thanks to this you can play them amazingly fast.
And keep them clean, because if they are shining they sound much better.
I learned to play them in a more "virtuose" way by following percussion solos and trying to mach the darbouka with the virtuosisms and not with the basic riythm.

Usually zills are used in the background playng the backrythm. In mu case, i also do sometimes the melody with them, if you know what I mean.

My advice is: when you practice, never stand still or sit, always move and walk.

Put on darbouka solo's and follow the percussionist, then copy what he is doing. Play as you are the main percussion and not the background percussion.

bya
paola
 

Yshka

New member
Hello girls,

Dear Paola, I hadnt thought of playing zills to darbouka solo's yet, that's actually a good tip. Sounds like something I might be trying soon:)
I learned about zills for the first time in a Turkish 9/8 workshop, and immediately learned to play 9/8 as my first zill pattern. The other ones, mostly Arabic, I learned later on. I love zills!!

Chryssanthi Sahar said:
I give such workshops also in Germany 2-3 times a year. And, if there is enough interest, one can hire me for such a workshop in her own country/city;)

Yay! Dear Chryssanthi, so in the Arabic system you don't play zills to either the really slow o the really fast rhythms? Wow, I didn't know that, since I learned zill patterns to all rhythms, even slower and faster ones, have never used them thought to anything but 4/4 rhythms. I might be taking a workshop with you sometime if I have a chance to come to Germany or ofcourse have a chance to get you here:D
I would love to take some classes with you sometime!

Yshka
 
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Jenna Woods

New member
There are some good videos:
""Finger Cymbals with Ansuya" from IAMED
www.bellydance.org
"Zills!" with Z-Helene
www.zhelene.com
"How to Play Finger Cymbals" with Mesmera, from Saroyan
www.saroyanzils.com

Also, Uncle Mafufo has a video, as does Horacio Cifuentes and Fat Chance Bellydance. Joynan (Unicorn Bellydance Supply) has a cassette tape of rhythms, and Mary Ellen Donald's book and cd's are wonderful. If you can find a copy of Jamila Salimpour's cassette tape from the '70's, it is also very good.

I think it's great that you want to play your zills, so many dancers don't anymore. If you are in Colorado, New Mexico, or Texas this fall, I am teaching my Zillfest 2006 workshops, with guest instructors Rafi'ah of Denver, and Z-Helene. If you want more info, it will be up on my new website sometime this week: www.oynamusicinmotion.com
 
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