Finger cymbals and belly dance dancing – learn
how to play them
Finger cymbals, also called sagat (or
zagat) in Arabic or zills in Turkish, are small circles
made of copper-nickel alloy and come in sets of four,
two in each hand.
The most common rhythms used with sagat or zills
during belly dance performances, are Baladi, Karachi
(or Karatchi) and Fallahi.
Baladi rhytm:
This rhythm, when played with drums, is usually made
up by two sequences of dums and taks. The first sequence
is 
composed
by two dum and three taks (dum-dum tk-tk-tk), followed
by one dum and three taks (dum tk-tk-tk).
As in zills there are no dum and no tak sounds, let
us assume that we are going to play the dums with
the right hand and the taks with the left.
Therefore, the sound played with the sagat will be:
r r rlr r rlr (where r stands for right, l for left
and space means a small pause)
Karatchi rhythm:
This rhythm imitates the sound of horses galloping,
therefore it is also called gallop and it sounds like
this: rlr rlr rlr rlr
Fallahi rhythm:
This is the rhythm created by the farmers of Egypt
and it is a repetitive sound that, with the finger
cymbals, goes like this: rlrlrlrlrlr
The zills can be played in a way that makes them
sound dull or resonant. For a more resonant sound,
you need to slide the sagat against each other slightly,
while striking them together. A dull sound is usually
better for a folkloric dance, while a resonant sound
is more adapt to a cabaret bellydance style.
Tips for using the sagat or zills
When to use them - they are often used at the beginning
of a belly dance coreography, as the dancer enters
the stage. Whenever you decide to use the zills during
your belly dance performance, however, never abuse
their use. Sagat should not be used for a long time,
otherwise they loose their appeal.
Which type of sagat is best to use – There
are various types of finger cymbals, varying in size,
colour and material. The size and the material are
chosen according to the type of music and dance style,
while the colour (silver or gold) depends on your
bellydance costume. However, one tip is to prefer
the zills that have two slits at the top (where you
insert the elastic band) rather than the zills with
only one hole at the top. The reason is that the cymbals
with two slots are easier to control, once you have
inserted the elastic band.
What type of elastic band is better to use –
the flat and wide type is better than the elastic
with a round cross section, as the flat rubber band
makes the zills more stable and easier to control
while playing them.
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