| The Bendir is certainly a different type of frame | | | | inside, thus creating more tension and tightening |
| drum. What sets this frame drum apart is the | | | | the drum. While this system certainly adds some |
| snare type device, in the form of gut, or more | | | | weight to the frame drum, the convenience of |
| commonly in modern times, a series of plastic | | | | being able to tune it makes it worth the extra |
| lines, stretched along the back of the head, from | | | | heft. This is especially important in geographic |
| edge to edge. When the frame drum is struck, | | | | areas that are typically not dry, or have varying |
| this adds a buzzing like quality to the tone. This | | | | humidity levels, because the natural goat skin is |
| tends to give a more sustaining sound. The | | | | greatly affected by this. The tone becomes dull |
| amount of the buzzing varies, depending on how | | | | and loose quite quickly in a moist environment, so |
| hard and where you strike the skin. The model | | | | being able to tune this drum up is great. There is |
| that I tested recently conveniently allows one to | | | | a convenient thumb hole in the frame, allowing for |
| remove this line, thus eliminating the buzz tone | | | | the standing method of playing. I am very pleased |
| and creating a more traditional frame drum sound. | | | | with the warm and deep tone I am able to |
| I prefer the tone without the snare, so I have | | | | achieve with this Bendir frame drum, much |
| removed it, but it can be re-installed as it is | | | | deeper and more sustaining than I expected from |
| merely fishing line stretched along the back of the | | | | this relatively small 14" Bendir. The edge tek tones |
| Bendir head. | | | | are nice and sharp, and the wood helps maintain a |
| The frame of the model I tested is fashioned | | | | natural sound, which is enhanced by the warm |
| from an attractive solid rosewood piece that was | | | | tone of the goat skin head. I really also like the |
| formed into a round frame. The goat skin head is | | | | soft rubbing tones produced, as well as a |
| stretch over the top and tacked to the edge with | | | | pronounced kah, or slap sound. |
| attractive brass nails. It is tunable via a convenient | | | | You can view a YouTube video that I posted |
| inside tuning system. Inside the Bendir frame | | | | where I demonstrate this Bendir with and without |
| drum is another ring of wood, that with the aid of | | | | the snare device, and show in detail the |
| the tuning devices, pushes the head out from the | | | | construction and materials used. |