Being a wearer of both the dancer and musician hats has given me certain insights and observations about the awesomeness and challenges of finger cymbals.īeing a musician also makes me hyper-aware of the “sound-space” every time I go to a show, especially shows with live music. I am a percussionist as well as a dancer, so this might naturally make sense. Well, I’m here to offer a different, more nuanced perspective.įinger Cymbals are one of my favorite things about this dance form. Many dancers consider them “just a prop”, and many musicians are mighty weary of them. Good dancers/players make anything look easy, right?! Just strap them on, smash them together, and they make lots of audible noise with little effort. It is truly fulfilling for a dancer to be able to accompany their own dancing! Finger cymbals are one of the things that tie this dance form uniquely to it’s music.įinger cymbals are deceptively challenging to truly master, however. They can also demonstrate/express a dancers intimate understanding of the music they are performing to. Paring interesting zil rhythms with musical compositions can bring new vibrancy and life into a song. When mastered, zils can truly express and add as much to a performance as any other percussion instrument.

They’re an essential companion for any belly dancer. In a recent conversation with my friend, Henna, I jokingly mentioned that “I’d like to dub February as Finger Cymbal Awareness Month.” We laughed, realized the actual importance of the statement, and thus I’ve decided to take action! Not that a finger cymbal player should only devote one month a year to practice (it’s an instrument that takes years of consistent energy, as much as any other instrument) but perhaps we can have a yearly “reminder” to celebrate finger cymbals! A time for dancers to pick them up again if perhaps they’ve taken a back-seat, introduce a new dancer to playing zils, or even encourage musicians to give them a try!įinger cymbals (aka zils or sagaat) are amazing, pocket-sized, percussion powerhouses.

This is a copy of the original blog post Danielle published on her old website in 2014.

Finger cymbals sound effect