Bendir for Hire

The bendir (also called erbeni or arbani) is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument throughout North Africa. Unlike the tambourine, it has no jingles but most often has a snare (usually made of gut) stretched across its head, which when the drum is struck with the fingers or palm gives the tone a buzzing quality. The bendir is a frame drum with a wooden frame and a membrane. It creates different tones according to the spreading of the shock waves moving across the skins itself. A frame drum is the oldest and most common kind of drum.