Moroccan music is a vibrant and diverse soundscape that reflects the rich cultural tapestry of this North African nation. Music has always held a significant place in Moroccan culture, with a history that stretches back through the centuries. Morocco’s geographical location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East has made it a melting pot of musical influences.
Moroccan music is characterized by its use of traditional instruments such as the oud (a pear-shaped stringed instrument), the guembri (a three-stringed bass lute), and various percussion instruments like the darbuka and bendir.
The Guembri
What is the Guembri?
The Guembri, also known as Gembri, Gambri, Guember, Gumbri or Genbri, is a traditional musical instrument that comes from the Gnaoua people who are descendants of Guinean slaves. It is found mainly in North Africa in Morocco and Mali.
The Guembri is a plucked string instrument also played by the Tuaregs and Berbers. The Guembri is an instrument mainly used by the Gnawa who are North Africans with ancestry in sub-Saharan Africa.
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The Guembri, also known as the gimbri, Sintir and Hajhouj is a rectangular lute from Morocco which is three stringed. It’s known for being used by the Gnawan musicians and the gimbri body is rectangular. It has camel skin which is added as a cover. Moreover, you have a round wooden neck. Then you have the three goat gut strings, and these are attached via cloth thongs. You will also note that there is a metal rattle which is integrated at the end of the neck in order to bring in more color.
The sintir (Arabic: سنتير), also known as the guembri (الكمبري), gimbri, hejhouj in Hausa language, is a three stringed skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people of Morocco. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body carved from a log and covered on the playing side with camel skin. The camel skin has the same acoustic function as the membrane on a banjo.
The traditional musical instrument known as the Guembri consists of a large, carefully carved wooden box. It is hollowed out and polished with a camel skin. This is stretched and nailed to the wooden part which serves as the sound box of the Guembri. Above the sound box, a hole is dug in which a cylindrical pole is inserted, which rests inside the body of the instrument.
The body of the instrument is hollowed out from a single piece of wood, and covered with camel or goat skin. The long neck passes through the top of the body and runs under the face, coming out through the skin near the base of the instrument, to serve as a tailpiece or string-carrier.
Playing the Guembri
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Construction and Materials
Our Guembri instruments are designed by professional Moroccan Gnawa artists renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship. We produce Guembri musical instruments that differ from each other in design and sound. Our various teams of professionals use innovation to transform this authentic vintage Moroccan geumbri, made by hand, into a true spiritual musical instrument made of high quality wood and leather.
The Guembri has three strings woven from goat intestine and resin. A first rope is attached to one end of the pole which coincides with the skin hole. On the other end, the second rope is firmly attached to the mast so as to throw a system of adjusting pegs. Finally, the third rope, which is usually the middle one, is meticulously integrated with an adjusting pet. So as to fit between half the distance between the end of the mast and the beginning of the soundboard.
The sliding leather tuning rings and the rattle-like metal sound modifier are commonly found in such West African instruments as the kora and the xalam (lute).
The two strings are tuned in fourths and used to be fixed to the circular neck using a special knotting, although over the last decade standard tuning pegs for guitar or bass has become increasingly popular. How the strings stay in tune is a mystery has to do with the quality of the string, humidity in the air and making the braided leather strips holding the strings wet with saliva, so they don't move.
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How to Play the Guembri
The goat gut strings are plucked downward with the knuckle side of the index finger and the inside of the thumb. The hollowed canoe shaped wooden body resonates a percussive tone created by knuckles slapping the camel neck top of the body while the thumb and index finger are plucking the strings.
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The neck of the Guembri is a simple stick with a short string and two long goat strings that produce a percussive sound similar to a pizzicato cello or double bass. The goat gut strings are plucked downwards so that the index finger and the inside of the thumb join at the side. The wooden body of the Guembri, which is in the form of a hollowed-out canoe, makes a percussive sound and creates phalanges that strike the upper camel neck of the body while the thumb and forefinger pluck the strings.
The plucking of the strings is done with the thumb and/or the index, and sometimes the player hits the body under the strings for a percussive sound. The Gnawa player who plays with the guembri is called the Maalem, the master of ceremonies. The Gnawa also refer to the guembri as hajhouj or sintir.
The traditional Guembri musical instrument consists of a sounding board about 20 to 35 cm long which is covered with tanned goat or camel skin. In the upper part of this sounding board, there is a long cylindrical wooden neck with three strings made of gut, leather strips or nylon. The three strings are tuned to the musical notes D-D-G. D is the fundamental, the second D is the octave and G is the fourth. The 2 lower strings correspond to the 2 higher strings of a bass, but the “low-high-mid” configuration means that you find yourself playing very different things intuitively. Attached to the upper part of the neck is the “sersara” which is a kind of rattle set in motion by the vibrations of the strings. The Guembri can be accompanied by other instruments such as the karkabas which are iron castanets.
The lowest string on the sintir is a drone note and the second string, the highest in pitch, is tuned an octave higher and is never fretted. The third string is tuned a fourth above the drone. The hum often heard emanating from the sintir is caused by metal rings that hang from a galvanised metal feather mounted at the end of the sintir’s neck.
The shortest string, which is also thinner, is tuned like the lowest string and is considered a drone string. Depending on the family, style or tradition there are different keys to the tuning. The most common ones however are C, F, D and G.
When the Gnawa are clapping and not playing with the krakebs (a form of castanets), it is not uncommon to add a piece of metal that rings when the guembri is played (sersara).
A metal piece, with rings, is attached to the neck of the gimbri, which produces a jingling sound audible during play. The gimbri tone is bass.
It’s one of the largest models in the family. You will note that using your knuckles will hit the instrument body, but at the same time you will have to use the index finger at the bottom. This is a unique technique that can help you create a unique tone. If you use this, you can rattle the jingles found at the neck’s ending.
The Guembri in Moroccan Music
Gnawa music is one of Morocco’s most captivating and distinctive musical genres. It has deep spiritual and cultural roots, originating from the Gnawa people, who are descendants of Sub-Saharan African slaves and traders. Central to Gnawa music is the use of the guembri, a three-stringed bass lute, and rhythmic percussion instruments.
The repetitive, hypnotic rhythms and chants of Gnawa music are known for inducing trance-like states and spiritual healing.
The guembri they use is the biggest: a long body, rectangular in shape. There is a hole in the skin at the bridge area for enhanced acoustics. Three strings are used, two that reach the end of the neck, and one that reaches the middle.
Izlan s Tamazight: sung poetry by the Berbers of the Middle Atlas and High Atlas. It has a body the size of a lute or mandolin, but the neck is usually longer and thicker. Unlike the gumebri of Gnawa, this one has wooden tuners. There are usually four strings (although five is not unusual) tuned in fourths as well. Common tunings are A standard or C standard. It is played similar to a lute, however it has its own tonal range, scales and key progressions that are particular to the Berbers. The main artist plays the lute and sings, accompanied by bendir players and backing singers which can include both men and women. To the Berbers, this type of guembri is more widely known as loutar, although in the Jebala area it is actually called a guembri.
Malhun: sung poetry in Moroccan colloquial Arabic (Darija). It is similar to the loutar in shape, but much smaller in size. It is not used as the main string instrument; rather it is used to provide timbre contrast to the music.
The qraqeb (also known as karkabas) is a set of metallic castanets held in the hand. Originally made out of iron, they are now normally made out of a steel alloy.
The tbel (also known as ganga) is a large double-headed drum played with one curved stick and one straight stick. In the most traditional, spirtual, Gnawa ensembles, the tbel was not typically used.
While Gnawa music has its roots in spiritual traditions, Rai music is the voice of urban rebellion and social commentary. Rai music is characterized by its use of synthesizers, electric guitars, and modern percussion instruments. The lyrics often touch on themes of love, poverty, social injustice, and the struggles of everyday life. In Morocco, Rai music has faced its share of controversy due to its perceived rebellion against traditional values and norms.
Moroccan music is not confined to traditional genres alone; it is a constantly evolving landscape that embraces fusion and experimentation. One notable example is the fusion of Gnawa with jazz, rock, and electronic music. This fusion has given rise to innovative artists and bands that push the boundaries of what Moroccan music can be. Additionally, Moroccan hip-hop and rap have also emerged as influential genres, offering a platform for artists to express their social and political concerns.
Morocco’s love for music is celebrated through numerous music festivals that draw both local and international talent. The Gnaoua World Music Festival in Essaouira is a prominent event that showcases Gnawa music alongside other world music genres.
Moroccan music is a kaleidoscope of sounds, rhythms, and emotions that reflect the complex and diverse culture of this North African nation. As Morocco continues to bridge the gap between tradition and innovation, its music remains a vibrant expression of the nation’s past, present, and future.
| String | Tuning | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest | D | Fundamental, Drone Note |
| Second | D | Octave above the lowest string, never fretted |
| Third | G | A fourth above the drone |
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