Thread: finger cymbal question

I am having a hard time with the zils, just learning rhytm while even walking but also with the elastic.

I thought the elastic went in the pad of your fingers just above the joint so it sits on the fleshy part of your finger. Mine are so tight they hurt after 15 minutes, but if any looser they fling off. any suggestions on types of elastic or placement of it?

For the record, i have short, fat, (ugly sausage) finger..l;,

You'll get used to it ;)

You want the elastic to sit over top of your cuticleso it grabs on to the fleshy part of your finger.

If it's higher up on the finger you risk them flying off. If it's lower, it feel weird and is harder to play.

However, everyone's finger's are shaped different and palm vs finger length ratio differs as well.

I usually thread the elastic, put them on, pull the elastic until it feels snug and then tie them off. This way I make sure they're snug but not turning my fingers purple.

You can also try different types of elastic- it might made it a bit more comfortable.

I place mine somewhere between the bed of the fingernail and the fleshy part of the joint. Experiment with the placement for comfort and "playability."

My fingertips start turning purple in less than 10 minutes; from what I have seen around, most people's do.

Deborah

I switched form the skinny 1/4" elastic to the wider elastic (I think I'm using 1"), and it has made ALL the difference in the world. They cover a larger surface area, so you don't have to wear them as tight. No more purple fingertips. And they stay perfectly in place... I had to pull mine through the slots with pliers. Also, I sewed them in place (they're too wide to tie, plus the ties always seem to work themselves loose anyway). I used white elastic and covered the middle fingers' elastic with makeup, to help tell them apart and to make the elastic less noticeable on my fingers.
Before you think I'm clever, I have to say I got all this from Elsa Leandros' zill DVD- which absolutely ROCKS!
Happy zilling!

I use a dot of nail polish on the two finger cymbals that go on my thumbs...so when I put them on really quickly, I know which zil goes where. Just a tiny dot on the INSIDE of the cymbal.

I just went to a workshop with Karim Nagi, and I noticed that he uses one color of elastic on his thumbs, and another color on the ones for his middle fingers.

My fingers always turn purple. I have little sausage fingers too and I wear mine partly on the cuticle and the first knuckle. There isn't alot of real estate on my fingers so it just covers that whole area. It only bothers me after I have been wearing them for more than an hour now tho so you should get use to them.

I like the idea of putting a mark on them somewhere so that I can tell them apart.

I use 1/2 inch elastc, which is supposed to turn fingertips blue ;-)

I found that I prefer to have the zills a bit closer to the knuckle, further in from the cuticles, while in the beginning, I had the elastic right on top of the cuticle. It is good to experiment with that.

I marked the inside of my zills with a sharpie, so that I can tell apart the thumb and middle finger.

I have not worked enough with it, but I like the Dancing Cymbalist, a book written by a woman who is positively a complete, over-the-top zill nerd.

Wide elastic is the way to go. Holds the cymbals on more securely, and also distributes the tightness so that it's not quite as agonizing.

I use white elastic for the middle finger cymbals, and black elastic for the thumbs.

I use the straps from a nude strapless bra. They sometimes include the straps in the deal if it is the convertable type.. I then use plyers to get them in the slots. I use the soft ,fuzzy side of the strap down for better friction.

I use the 1/2" elastic so it covers from just below my cuticle to just below the knuckle. I sewed a sequin onto the elastic of my thumb zills so I can tell without even looking which ones go where.

My fingertips start turning purple in less than 10 minutes; from what I have seen around, most people's do.

.........standard ! you wont notice it after awhile !............
i use 3/4 " and double pin
it sits behind the cuticle, play from the knuckel, not the whole finges/hand

Originally Posted by anala

I use the straps from a nude strapless bra. They sometimes include the straps in the deal if it is the convertable type.. I then use plyers to get them in the slots. I use the soft ,fuzzy side of the strap down for better friction.

Whoa! What a good idea. I happen to have a spare pair of straps in my drawer. Will try that.

Also, will try the wider elastic. I thought if I went wider, it would pinch more, but maybe it distributes the pressure better. Thanks

Now can y'all help me with the Kashlima.......l;,..l;,

Sure...treat like a 4 beat!!!!

Originally Posted by ambriehlmagycblade

I use a dot of nail polish on the two finger cymbals that go on my thumbs...so when I put them on really quickly, I know which zil goes where. Just a tiny dot on the INSIDE of the cymbal.

I just went to a workshop with Karim Nagi, and I noticed that he uses one color of elastic on his thumbs, and another color on the ones for his middle fingers.

This is great but I'm a little more neurotic I use two colors one for each hand cause even our hands are not exactly the same size. I use red for the left and purple for the right hand. Then two dots for thumbs and one for finger.

Originally Posted by anala

Sure...treat like a 4 beat!!!!

Assuming that you talk about 9s - I think I understand the idea behind this comment, and it is a good path to teach dancers's feet. However, I would respectfully disagree for dancer's hands. One should not treat zilling to a karsilama like zilling to the most common 4s. The accents are different, and it would be bad to drop the accents on 78 or 789 (depending on the tune/musicians) in favor of playing one of the common zill patterns for even rhythms. I cringe at this thought. If somebody does not understand a 9/8 enough to get the rhythm pattern, it is a good idea to pick up a drum, learn to bang along to the rhythm - and *then* have a grand time with zills.

Again, when it comes to getting the hang of a 9 when dancing, the above is of course good advice. But for zills, I disagree.

Hey there, my little 9/8 virtuoso, you are so right! I am not sure why I assumed it was feet, I just did. Hooked...feet or zills?

Oh, man Anala, you crack me up! ;-) I think you should patent that idea right here, right now, zills on toes - may I donate the name to your cause: Bellytap, the latest and most challenging fusion trend EWAH!

No my dear....this idea is all yours..and I love it!

Originally Posted by anala

Hey there, my little 9/8 virtuoso, you are so right! I am not sure why I assumed it was feet, I just did. Hooked...feet or zills?

Ha! Both I can do each rhythm fine on cybals, (R RL R RL R RL RRR)

and the feet: 1 step front R (2) 3 Step in place Left (4) 5 Step back Right

(6) 7 Step in place Left, (8,9)

But when I try to put them together, either my feet freeze or myh hands freeze. Does this get better? Is it one of those train your brain rub tummy pat head things???? This is why I don't care for zils. But I want to learn because I know it's harder later.

Anala, what do you mean treat it like a 4 beat? Then what beat is the RRR on?

Oh wait, Anala, our teacher showed us with the feet, it's kind of like "one two three four five six seven eight AND one two...etc. The feet move on the 1,3,5,7 and the AND is like a little kick or hip or whatever right before the one again. Hope that makes sense.

With a 9/8, there are a lot more ways to zill along - and the pattern you wrote out is not necessarily the best start, and it does not match every piece of music. For a 9/8 played with a silent 9 (listen e.g. to Djinn's Rumeli Karsilamasi, which has a very easy to hear start), you can play R L R LL (1 3 5 78) or R L R <clap,clap>, which lines up with feet R L R L<pause>. Once you got that down, then you can start filling - RLRLR RR and next, R rlR rlR rlRR.

I happen to not agree with the "it's harder later" - I started picking up zills late, and I enjoy playing along even to 7s and 9s, even though nobody ever taught me ;-)

Well, that's encouraging. I'll keep trying.