Finger Cymbal Rhythms

For Egyptian 4/4 Music

by Shira

This page contains more than 10 finger cymbal rhythms that are suitable for belly dancing to 4/4 music, particularly Egyptian music based on the Maqsoum rhythm (also often called Beledi in the United States or Masmoudi Saghir in Egypt). "4/4" means there are four beats to a measure and a quarter note gets one count. Not every one of these rhythms will sound good with every 4/4 song--listen to the music, and play rhythms that go well with it.

Finger Cymbals
Some of these rhythms may also sound fine with either 2/4 music or 4/4 music from other ethnic sources, such as some Turkish music. Again, listen to the music, and if these rhythms seem to fit, go ahead and use them.

Many belly dancers play only the Gallop (Threes) rhythm throughout their dance. This is very boring to listen to, and it is the mark of a dancer who has not yet mastered the art of using finger cymbals. To keep your cymbal playing interesting, vary the rhythm that you use, but always be sure to pick rhythms that work with the music.

So, how should you use these suggested "standard" rhythms that appear on this web page?

They provide something tangible that you can practice, for building dexterity and "muscle learning" into your hands
They can help train your ear to hear various underlying rhythms in the music you are using.
If you are creating a choreography to be used by a group, then you may also want to choreograph the accompanying finger cymbal rhythms for optimal effect, and the rhythms on this page may help inspire your thinking.

These are not the only rhythms you can play to Egyptian 4/4 music. They are simply a sample to help you start learning what types of patterns might sound good with some Middle Eastern songs. Ultimately, your goal should be to play along with whatever the music is doing, and if these particular rhythms don't fit, don't use them!

In the following descriptions of cymbal rhythm patterns:

Listen To It offers you audio clips that you can listen to on your computer. These audio clips are offered to you in two file formats: "wav" file, and "MP3". The sounds are identical in them, so choose the one in whichever file format you prefer to receive. If you have never played sound files from the Internet before and don't know which format is "better", click here for a very brief tutorial on Internet sound that will help you decide. There is a way to play the "wav" file over and over again, automatically repeating, so you can practice along with it, and that too is described in my tutorial file on Internet sound.
Sound Pattern is a name for the rhythm that you can use to quickly communicate which pattern you mean when talking to another dancer--for example, when teaching a class.
Spoken As refers to what words you would use to describe what this rhythm sounds like if it were being played on a dumbek (Middle Eastern drum). The syllables that appear in CAPITAL LETTERS should be accented.
Which Hand To Use shows you whether to use the right or the left. It is shown for both right-handed cymbal players and left-handed--use whichever you find more comfortable for you. "L" refers to the left hand, and "R" to the right hand.
Musical Notation indicates how the rhythm would be written if conveying it to a musician who knows how to read musical notation. With each musical notation are the words you would use to count it, with commas inserted where pauses would be.
Counting Diagram shows how the musical notation would be counted, but can be used by people who have not been taught musical notation. It shows each pattern twice--the first time, for right-handed dancers, and the second time for left-handed dancers. Use whichever line you feel more comfortable with. "L" and "l" refer to the left hand, and "R" and "r" refer to the right hand. When the letter is capitalized, that means accent that note. When lower-case, it means play that note without an accent.

Gallop (Also Called Threes)

This is the simplest finger cymbal pattern, and is sometimes called Threes because each set includes three cymbal strikes followed by a pause. Sometimes it is erroneously called "Triplets", but this is a mistake because in music the word "triplets" has a very distinct meaning which is not at all like this rhythm. It also works with most 2/4 music. It sounds best if you alternate hands within each group of 3 notes: RLR, RLR, RLR, etc. (Of course, if you're left-handed, it's better to play LRL, LRL, LRL because your stronger hand should be the one that plays with the accented dun sound.)

Listen To It

<==Click here to listen to an MP3 version of the Gallop (Threes).

<==Click here to listen to a "wav" version of the Gallop (Threes).

<==Click here if you need a tutorial on which of the above options to choose.

Sound Pattern

3 3 3 3

Spoken As

teca DUN teca DUN teca DUN teca DUN

Which Hand To Use

For right-handed dancers: RLR RLR RLR RLR

For left-handed dancers: LRL LRL LRL LRL

In Musical Notation

This musical notation would be counted as: and a 1, and a 2, and a 3, and a 4, and a 1...

Counting Diagram

The first line is for right-handed dancers, and the second line is for left-handed dancers. Accent the capitalized beats.

1---+---2---+---3---+---4---+---|

R r l R r l R r l R r l |

L l r L l r L l r L l r |

1---+---2---+---3---+---4---+---|

Maqsoum (Also Called Masmoudi Saghir)

This is the classic rhythm used in many Egyptian songs, and it's very useful to be able to play this rhythm on your finger cymbals. The name Masmoudi Saghir means "little masmoudi" (as opposed to the slower Masmoudi Kebir which means "big masmoudi" which is the one most people think of when they hear the word "masmoudi"). Sometimes people in the United States erroneously call this rhythm "baladi", but to Egyptians the "baladi" rhythm is something else entirely. On the "three" sections, alternate between right and left, with the accented dun sound falling on your stronger hand (that is, on your right hand if you're right-handed, or your left hand if you're left-handed.