Product Description

Master the art of finger cymbals (zils) with this comprehensive instructional video from renowned percussionist and rhythm teacher Tobias Roberson. Tobias leads you step-by-step through the basic techniques with close-up angles demonstrating exactly how to get great sound from your zils. A variety of rhythms and patterns are introduced and broken down to give you an extensive set of material with which to build your repertoire. In the second section Tobias teaches two dynamic compositions for the zils. First is an easy to play interactive duet for drum and zils. This composition shows how to build an exciting piece from the skills you have already learned. Rachel Brice and Mardi Love then perform a matching choreography that can be used as is or to inspire your own creativity. The second composition features more advanced possibilities with fast and syncopated technique. For this composition Rachel and Mardi perform separately to show how the composition can be interpreted in different ways.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45449 in DVD
• Published on: 2006
• Rating: Unrated
• Formats: NTSC, Widescreen
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 169 minutes

Features

• Over 2.5 hours including:
• ~ Introduction to patterns and basic technique by Tobias Roberson.
• ~ Two dynamic compositions for fingers cymbals with drum accompaniment.
• ~ Three dances to the compositions by belly dance superstars Rachel Brice and Mardi Love.

Customer Reviews

Great for beginners, more advanced students
I was a little hesitant to buy this - at $40 it's a bit pricier than other instructional dvds I've seen for belly dancers - but it is totally worth it for what you get: almost 3 hours of material, basic exercises, two full compositions, complete liner notes, and video of Rachel Brice and Mardi Love performing to each of the compositions.

Tobias is a drummer and he approaches finger cymbals as an instrument. The compositions he teaches are designed to be played with a drum accompaniment. He does not teach how to dance and zil -- you have to work that out for yourself -- but the clips of Rachel and Mardi at the end tie it all together. After the first composition Rachel and Mardi perform a duet, illustrating how dancers and drummer can work together musically. After the second composition they each perform separately; it's cool to see their different interpretations of the music.

This dvd is really well done -- very good picture and sound. It was easy to follow, and the close-up angle is helpful: fantastic for beginners and us visual learners who get our right and left mixed up. It also has lots of chapter breaks, which is great for me because I don't have 3 hours to sit down and do the whole thing at once. It's easy to jump around to whichever section I'm working on.

I have been playing cymbals for years and definitely feel I've learned something new with this. I found it challenging to learn the compositions, and liked Tobias' teaching style and perspective. While I won't adopt everything he suggested, there was plenty for me to work on and apply to my own dance and zilling. I highly recommend this dvd.

I really bought it because of the dancers it featured!! :)
Yes, it's true! I thought with Rachel Brice and Mardi Love doing a duet and solos on this DVD, it is worth the price just for that. Very ingenious marketing strategy. I am guessing a lot of dancers bought it for the same reason.

When I opened the package, I went straight to the performance pieces. They were all good and usable material, shot straight forward with no silly camera angle changes like a lot of videos on the market now that are supposedly geared toward dance enthusiasts! I noted the cymbal work and was impressed enough to decide to check out Tobias' instruction and breakdown of the rhythms. I am really glad I did.

I have been playing and performing with finger cymbals for over 10 years. Not ever dancer is lucky enough to have an instructor that emphasizes the importance of playing cymbals when learning how to dance. I found this instructional DVD to be good for beginners who might need that education, and I also found it to be a good practice companion for the seasoned cymbal player.

In the past, I have purchased instructional DVDs that did not meet my expectations. This DVD was different because it addressed the complete package, from beginning instruction to performance in segments that could be built upon as the student progresses. I found this DVD to be a product a dancer could grow into and use as a reference and practice guide. I found the liner notes and downloadable sound clips to be very helpful and above and beyond what I expected when I purchased the DVD. The sound and images on the DVD were of high quality and I really appreciated the different camera angles during the instruction portions.

I highly recommend it. Great job!

Bridging the gap between musicians and dancers: Tobias Roberson
This DVD serves to bridge the gap between musicians and dancers using the percussion instrument that most dancers start out on. Demonstrating the interaction between finger cymbals and drum Tobias has Faisal giving lively doumbek accompanyment to the finger cymbal combinations. With clear directions illustrating technique and posture Tobias also illustrates how to set up a small simple show by providing some drumming and the lovely choreography with Mardi Love and Rachel Brice. Advanced dancers and drummers will be able to also incorporate this material with the finger cymbals instruction which covers beginning and intermediate levels.

Really I think that anyone can enjoy learnig finger cymbals, if you are involved at all in the dance and music scene the addition of good crisp zills to a open improv set is usually quite welcome. It is very easy to practice on the go as well. Even if you are shy about performing on stage, or unsure where to start with an instrument you can easily start here with the purchase of some very inexpensive zills and this intensive instructional DVD.