Thread: Zill pounding question...

I admit - I am used to pounding pretty hard on the old zills. My concern is...I have a gig that is going to be in a small condo coming up and no matter what I do - my zills still sound LOUD!

Now - I am using 2 1/4 Turquoise - they sound so nice. I have some cheap-o Egyptian zills that are from Cairo that are really bad sounding (sound tin-ny) but are not as loud.

What do you suggest for zills? Should I maybe move down a size in the Turquoise zills or play the cheap-o ones?

Any suggestions on playing them softer?

How about muting them when you play by placing either your index or ring finger or both on top of the zill. It makes a closed, more metallic clicking noise but could still be easily heard in a small space.

Can you play them muted? If I begin playing at it sounds too loud for the venue, I will place my fingers on the back of the zill to mute the ringing but can still play all of the patterns and rhythms without any problem.

Otherwise, I actually use my biggest/lowest toned zills for that kind of gig b/c they have less of a piercing reverb to them.

Good luck!

Following on what Mahsati said, I really like the Saroyan Grecian zills. They're large (though not heavy), and they're loud too, but the pitch is very low compared to most other zills and much easier on the ears in a limited space.
Rosette

Muting will work, but it will sound different. If you still want the ring, you might want to switch to a quieter set.

Saroyan's "contemporary" zils in light gauge aren't super loud. And they're light and small, so they're very easy to play.

I second Rosette's suggestion of the Grecians. I really disliked working with zills until I tried those. They're very mellow with a nice ring but without that piercing shrillness. My home studio is small with laminate flooring and brick walls, and even in that environment these sound great!

Originally Posted by GenevieveOfAtlanta

I second Rosette's suggestion of the Grecians. I really disliked working with zills until I tried those. They're very mellow with a nice ring but without that piercing shrillness. My home studio is small with laminate flooring and brick walls, and even in that environment these sound great!

Thirding the Grecians! I lurrrrrve them!

You could play with clicks, which are easier to modulate, I find.

Zill covers, one per pair, made of thin nylon hose, will damp the sound without changing the action or the feel too much. Some folks sell crocheted ones; again recommend using only one per pair, or the feel changes significantly. IMO

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Zill covers, one per pair, made of thin nylon hose, will damp the sound without changing the action or the feel too much. Some folks sell crocheted ones; again recommend using only one per pair, or the feel changes significantly. IMO

that sounds like a great idea! wow...i've never thought of something even remotely close to that!!!

i was going to suggest cheapie zills or playing them muted.

also, you could try to play them sparingly, accenting only the chorus or certain sections rather than throughout the whole set.