Dum, tak and ka
The middle of the skin gives the deep dum, the right edge the sharp tak of the right hand, the left edge the light ka of the fingers that hold the drum. Hold Shift for a soft ghost note, press L for a muted dum.
Morocco · Free · No account
Online bendir - a frame drum that buzzes
The big frame drum of North Africa, with a gut string stretched under its skin that buzzes on every stroke. Strike the middle for a deep dum, the edge for a sharp tak or a light ka, then play along with grooves in 2/4, 6/8, 12/8 and 4/4, or take over the bendir part and see how many strokes land in time.
4 STROKES
5 GROOVES
1 SNARE
45 KB SOUND FILE
0 INSTALL
What you get
The heartbeat of North Africa
A skin, a wooden frame and a string that buzzes: the bendir is simple, and that is why it carries so far.
The buzzing snare
A gut string runs under the skin of the bendir and rattles against it on every stroke: you can see it through the skin here too. Switch it off to hear the drier sound of a frame drum without a snare.
Grooves in six and twelve
Walk in 2/4, ride the 6/8 Caravan, spin in the 12/8 Trance, dance the 4/4 Wedding groove or work on soft ghost notes. Each groove shows which stroke to play and with which hand.
Hand claps
Claps on the beat keep you company, as they would around a real bendir. Turn them off to play alone, or keep them as your guide in My part.
Play your part
Press My part: the bendir goes quiet, the claps go on, and you play the drum. Each stroke turns green in time and in the right place, red if not, with a counter.
Recorded drum, light page
A frame drum and hand claps recorded by Versilian Studios and released into the public domain, packed into one 45 KB file; the snare buzz is synthesized so it follows every stroke.
Getting started
Your first bendir groove
Dum
Tap the middle of the skin, or press J: the deep stroke.
Tak and ka
Tap the right edge (K) and the left edge (F).
Listen
Choose Caravan (6/8) and press Play the groove: dum, tak dum, tak.
Your turn
Press My part and play along with the claps.
Specifications
The full sheet
| Type | Bendir, the North African frame drum with a snare, playable on this page, free |
|---|---|
| Strokes | Dum (middle), tak (right edge), ka (left edge), muted dum; soft with Shift |
| Snare | Buzz of the gut string under the skin, on or off |
| Grooves | Walking two (2/4), Caravan (6/8), Trance (12/8), Wedding (4/4), Ghost notes (4/4); 60 to 150 BPM |
| Practice | My part: timing and middle or edge checked on every stroke |
| Keyboard | J or Space dum, K tak, F or D ka, L muted dum |
| Sound | Versilian Community Sample Library (CC0): frame drum and hand claps (45 KB), synthesized snare |
| Requirements | Any modern browser with Web Audio - Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari |
The frame drum of the Maghreb
The bendir is a large frame drum played across North Africa, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. It is about 35 to 40 cm across, with a skin stretched over a wooden frame and, unlike a tambourine, no jingles: instead, a gut snare stretched under the skin gives its sound a buzzing quality. The drummer holds it upright with the left thumb in a small hole in the frame, plays the edge with the fingers of that hand, and strikes the centre and the rim with the right hand.
Trance, dance and celebration
The bendir is the drum of Sufi ceremonies, where music, rhythm and dance lead towards particular states of consciousness, and it is also played simply for pleasure. Frame drums are among the oldest drums there are; in Egypt the similar tar has no snare, and in Ireland the bodhrán is played with a beater.
More drums to play
Play the dum and tak of the online darbouka, the bass, tone and slap of the djembe, and find every instrument on the world music studio map.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is this online bendir free?
Yes. The bendir at the top of this page is free, with no account and nothing to install. It runs in your browser with the Web Audio API and loads one 45 KB sound file.
Why does the bendir buzz?
A gut string, the snare, is stretched under the skin. When the skin vibrates it slaps against the string, which adds a buzz to every stroke. Use the Snare button to hear the difference.
How do I play the bendir on a keyboard?
Press J or Space for the dum, K for the tak of the right hand, F or D for the ka of the left fingers and L for a muted dum. Hold Shift for a soft stroke.
Are these grooves traditional rhythms?
No. They were written for this page to practise the strokes in the meters bendir players use, 2/4, 6/8, 12/8 and 4/4. Traditional rhythms are best learned from musicians who play them.
Where does the sound come from?
From the Versilian Community Sample Library, released into the public domain (CC0): a frame drum struck in the middle and on the edge, and hand claps. The buzz of the snare is synthesized so it follows each stroke.
Keep exploring
Other apps in the studio
Ready when you are
From the bendir to your own track
The bendir is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds a looper, synths, drum machines and a sequencer that play together - free for 7 days, no card required.
Free on this page, no account. Play the online darbouka →