Zill Skills Guidebook

Zilling is as much about self-awareness as it is about musical awareness. This guidebook is meant to help you build both.

This guidebook was created to support FatChanceBellyDance®Style dancers on their finger cymbals journey. Whether you’re completely new to zills or looking to improve your practice, you’ll find clear, approachable information to help you build confidence.

Inside, you’ll find:

• An overview of how zills fit into FCBD®Style and our group musicality

• Step-by-step breakdowns of our most commonly used zill patterns (Longa, Military, Extended Military, Baladi, and Moroccan 6)

• Practice tips, visuals, and simplified teaching methods appealing to a variety of learning styles

• Suggestions for connecting with rhythm, even when it doesn’t come naturally to you

• A section about riffing, with ideas for when and how to explore your own rhythm when playing zills

• Resource links for practice songs, zill vendors, and hand/wrist care

This guidebook was originally created as a companion to the in-person Zill Skills workshop. If you're someone who learns best with hands-on instruction, I will offer the workshop periodically, and a printed version of the guidebook is included for all participants. Sign up for our newsletter or check our Calendar page to find out when it’s offered next.

If you attend the workshop in person, while the PDF is available, you’ll also receive a discount code for 50% off the digital version in case having both formats supports your learning.

The workshop is also being developed into a self-paced video course so dancers can learn from anywhere. The downloadable guidebook will be included with the video course. When the course becomes available, the standalone PDF will no longer be sold separately—but if you’ve already purchased the PDF guidebook, you’ll receive a special discount code to apply toward the course when it launches if you’re interested.