Thread: Zill techniques for beginners??

Hi all,

Do you have a special method of teaching zills to new students? When I was first taught, they used to put us sitting down in a circle and then play the patterns... I hated it!!! I want to do something different... how do you introduce zills to your students?

Thank you!

Gaby

I'm not a teacher but I found this helpful.
Well I learned a new way of thinking of zills aT Raks East. Thanks Ma'Shuqa! While playing them recite. don't laugh humpty dumpty and jack and jill nursery rhymes.It makes sense when you play them.Although I don't zills as much as I should..Now thinking with nursery rhymes they are easier and makes sense.
I also know there are lots of phrases. "gotta dance,gotta dance, got a chicken in my pants." to help remember the rhythms. I think there's an old thread on zill phrases...

Alrana

Artemis' CD Zill Speak covers exactly what Alrana mentions - it teaches different representations, counting, right-left, doum-tek, and zill phrases.

Originally Posted by mehndidancer

I'm not a teacher but I found this helpful.
Well I learned a new way of thinking of zills aT Raks East. Thanks Ma'Shuqa! While playing them recite. don't laugh humpty dumpty and jack and jill nursery rhymes.It makes sense when you play them.Although I don't zills as much as I should..Now thinking with nursery rhymes they are easier and makes sense.
I also know there are lots of phrases. "gotta dance,gotta dance, got a chicken in my pants." to help remember the rhythms. I think there's an old thread on zill phrases...

Alrana

Could you tell us some of the nursery rhymes that go with zill patterns? This is intriguing to me, and I also like light-hearted stuff like that.

Ah, here it is:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Zill-Speak-Play-Finger-Cymbals/dp/B002LNWN8G/]Amazon.com: Zill Speak - How to Play Finger Cymbals from A(lmee) to Z(ills): Elizabeth Artemis Mourat: Music[/ame]

Originally Posted by steffib

Ah, here it is:

Amazon.com: Zill Speak - How to Play Finger Cymbals from A(lmee) to Z(ills): Elizabeth Artemis Mourat: Music

Is this only a CD or does she have a DVD as well??

Originally Posted by mehndidancer

... I also know there are lots of phrases. "gotta dance,gotta dance, got a chicken in my pants." to help remember the rhythms. I think there's an old thread on zill phrases...

Alrana

That's just too funny!!!! ..l;,

Thanks!

Originally Posted by mehndidancer

I also know there are lots of phrases. "gotta dance,gotta dance, got a chicken in my pants." to help remember the rhythms.

Yeah, that one is by Saqra.



Back to the original topic, I believe in making students move while playing cymbals right from Day 1. If you stand still and play, you won't learn how to move and play at the same time.

I suggest that you start by teaching a rhythm, then as soon as they seem to have a clue, have them do something simple while playing it, such as aseries of hip drops. Then have them do 6 hip drops on one size (while still zilling), followed a step on count 7, touch on count 8 to change sides. Then 6 hip drops on the other side followed by step-touch to return tothe first side.

Then, make the movement a little more complex by adding something additional into the combination, while still drilling the same thing on the zills.

And so on.

Originally Posted by gabykings

Is this only a CD or does she have a DVD as well??

It is a CD with a booklet, no DVD. I don't consider that a problem for zills, because verbal instruction is highly effective here. Not that I'd mind seeing Artemis, of course! But, tonight, I had to sit and wait in the cold for a long time with only my iPod, and I thought that having a CD for zills is actually better than a DVD.

Thanks Shira -that's good tip...

All of you have been really helpful! I truly appreciate it

Originally Posted by steffib

It is a CD with a booklet, no DVD. I don't consider that a problem for zills, because verbal instruction is highly effective here. Not that I'd mind seeing Artemis, of course! But, tonight, I had to sit and wait in the cold for a long time with only my iPod, and I thought that having a CD for zills is actually better than a DVD.

You know, that's a very good idea! I think I'm going to buy this CD!..g.:

I like Anthea's instructionals on youtube:

YouTube - DanceEternal's Channel

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I like Anthea's instructionals on youtube:

YouTube - DanceEternal's Channel

OOhh, let me check this out!
thanks

I am not an instructor, though I thought I'd put in my thought on this. The most valuable thing my teacher taught us was alternating zills while doing combinations that are done to zill patterns like balady.

It is so awkward at first though the benefits include:

Better sense of music rhythm.
Better zill technique (less clacking).
Hand conditioning.
Better body movement timing (helps with the bad habit of not completing movements).
Last but not least, it is a wonderful lesson in humility---I tend to get cocky with the zillin' and this exercise keeps me from getting sloppy (cheesy grin).

Originally Posted by Doozer

I am not an instructor, though I thought I'd put in my thought on this. The most valuable thing my teacher taught us was alternating zills while doing combinations that are done to zill patterns like balady.

It is so awkward at first though the benefits include:

Better sense of music rhythm.
Better zill technique (less clacking).
Hand conditioning.
Better body movement timing (helps with the bad habit of not completing movements).
Last but not least, it is a wonderful lesson in humility---I tend to get cocky with the zillin' and this exercise keeps me from getting sloppy (cheesy grin).

Could you explain this a little bit more? What exactly do you mean by alternating zills? I'm intrigued.

Hey Dunyah! Alternating zills LRLRLRLRLRLR........for like, as long as you can to tempo of the music. We start slowly, with slow music then progressively get faster with faster music. It's really fun and quite a challenge. I tend to get spoiled with the usual zill patterns---this is like basic training, and man, my hands get tired!

In my classes I don't have people sit down with zills. In the 3rd week of beginner class, we start zils by standing, in a circle, and I introduce the basic techniques (eg., what fingers are the zils attached to, how do you strike them together without clacking, having relaxed wrists, etc). Then we take just a couple of minutes to try hitting RLR RLR (or LRL LRL, or RLR LRL RLR, I let them choose) and I play loudly and count it out loud (1-2-3, 1-2-3), slowly increase the tempo to that an actual workable song (albeit still pretty slow). Then we start walking with it--just walking--so that the 3rd count of the zil hits on the "1" count of the music and we step on that count. We do this for maybe 4-5 minutes--sometimes in a circle, sometimes facing a mirror and stepping forward and back. Those who already are comfortable with zils might try stepping with a gentle shimmy. The next lesson, re briefly review and then do some repetitive movement or combo with the same zilling--like Egyptian Basic, switching to another basic move, and then back to stepping with a hip swing.
I remind people to practice "air zilling" too--just tapping their fingers together while walking.
I think it helps to play music with a very clear beat, too.

I second Shira - please make them move with the zils from day one. Speaking as someone who, 6-7yrs later is trying to learn/re-learn zils, it's really difficult to play and move without serious unintentional clacking, because I got in the habit of playing & not dancing at the same time.

In my Level 1 classes, I teach the first pattern (3's: RLR RLR RLR RLR) in week 2. We stand still while we're learning it- first I have them say it aloud (123 123 123 123), them by patting the rhythm on our bellies, then by putting on the zills and playing it VERY slowly. We gradually work up speed and I add music when we are at that tempo. After we play with the music for a while, I turn the music off and we play super-slowly again. The next week (week 3 in the session), we practice again standing still and then start moving- first walking and then usually a Basic Egyptian. From then on, on even numbered weeks I introduce a pattern standing still, and the following week we move with that pattern. Every week we also review all patterns that we have learned with various movements.