Other words used to refer to these cymbals include the Persian term senj سنج (meaning chime or cymbal), the Greek kymbala κύμβαλο (from which our own word for cymbal is derived), the Hebrew metziltayim מצילתיים, and the Arabic sanouj صنوج (meaning gongs or cymbals). They are fairly easy to play, since the two slot design and flat elastic keep the cymbals secure on your finger, and they’re most common in American Cabaret belly dancing, Tribal belly dance styles, and Turkish style dance. Zils are not usually pitched, meaning that their ring does not vibrate at one sustained frequency (what we might call a musical note). They’re tempered in order to ring longer, and have a sustain of up to around 10 seconds. (The popular Turkish cymbal company “Zildijan” comes from the same root word.) Zils are stamped or hammered from sheets of metal, usually brass, bronze, or nickle silver, have a shallow dome shape, and have two slots in the center where elastic attaches them to the finger. These are Turkish style finger cymbals, and their name, zil or ziller, simpy means “cymbal” or “bell” in Turkish. The most common type of cymbals you’re likely to encounter are called zils. Before moving on to the musical basics of finger cymbal rhythms, let’s delve a little deeper into different types of finger cymbals, their names, and their constructions. My personal cymbal style is heavily shaped by my background as a musician and a darbuka player, so my approach emphasizes using clear musical timing and playing the cymbals in a musical way, learned and reinforced through practice and drilling. Perhaps because of the skill required to be both master dancer and master musician simultaneously, cymbals are becoming less common in belly dance than in previous years, and I am honored to provide these resources to you as part of a growing trend for dancers and percussionists to share this knowledge and make it easily available for continuing generations of dancers to learn.ĭifferent teachers have different styles of presenting the cymbals, including many different styles of counting, pattern naming, preferences for using the left or right hand, etc. There are many kinds of cymbals and other similarly played instruments, and different regions have their own preferences and traditions, but the one thing they all have in common are the almost magical ability of a dancer to literally become a part of the music to which they dance. Yasmin Henkish, an Egyptian dance teacher, cymbal expert, and researcher, cites archaeological evidence for finger cymbals being played since 1500 BCE, with similar precursors like wooden or ivory clappers being played since as early as 3300 BCE. Finger cymbals have been used widely in several modern forms of belly dance, including Egyptian, Turkish, and even American styles. Visit to learn more, or click each image to view instruments for sale.įinger cymbals are a very special part of the heritage of middle eastern music and dance. Images are used under creative commons licenses or by gracious permission from Mid-East Manufacturing INC.
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