Zils - 5s in combination with other patterns - part 1

For this week’s finger cymbal drills we are going to build on the 5s we were working with last week (you can review it here if you need a refresher).


We are going to start with 335, which I usually cover in my intermediate classes. This pattern works well when paired with rocking step cha cha. It is also the pattern we use for Up Up Down Down in group improvisation. 335 uses 3s and syncopated 5s and is played as follows:

335
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 RLR RLR RLR R L RLR RLR RLR R L

The second pattern we are going to work with this week is 225. This pattern combines what I call doubles (also known as slow singles) and skipping 5s. This pattern would work well combined with a movement that has four accents and then a smooth movement, for example a four drop typewriter followed by a scoop (bottom half of a bicycle hip) to take the hip back to the front. It is played as follows:

225
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   R L R L RLRLR R L R L RLRLR

Have fun practicing these two patterns that use 5s and we will discuss a couple more next week.