guembri

The guembri, also spelled gimbri or sintir, is a three-stringed bass lute that forms the core of Gnawa music in the Maghreb, especially Morocco, with presence in Algeria and Tunisia. It is used to accompany the ritual songs and dances of the Gnawa people, a historically marginalized Sufi community renowned for trance ceremonies called lila.

Construction: The body is typically carved from a single block of wood such as mulberry, sycamore, or date palm and topped with a skin face—often camel or goat skin—stretched over a wooden frame. The short neck is set into the body and holds three strings, which run to a tailpiece. The instrument is fretless, producing a deep, drone-like bass when plucked.

Playing and sound: The guembri is plucked with a plectrum or fingers, yielding a thick, rhythmic drone with a percussive quality. The strings are usually tuned to a deep, modal pitch with one string serving as a drone and the others providing a melody line. The player often emphasizes the rhythm with the wrist and uses muting to create stuttering accents. It is commonly accompanied by metal castanets (qraqeb) and vocal call-and-response.

Cultural role and modern use: In Gnawa ensembles, maâlems (master players) lead performances, providing the harmonic and rhythmic foundation for healing ceremonies and social gatherings. In contemporary world music, the guembri is sometimes amplified or electrified and used by fusion artists, contributing a distinctive North African bass voice to diverse genres.