The sintir, also called the guembri, gimbri, or hejhouj in Hausa, is a three-stringed instrument with a skin-covered body used by the Gnawa people of Morocco. It is about the same size as a guitar, with a body carved from a single log and covered on the playing side with camel skin. The camel skin works like the stretched membrane on a banjo to help the instrument make sound. The neck is a simple stick with one short string and two long strings made of goat gut. These strings create a sound similar to a cello, pedal harp, or double bass when plucked.

The strings are plucked downward using the knuckle side of the index finger and the inside of the thumb. The hollow, canoe-shaped wooden body makes a percussive sound when the knuckles tap the top of the body. At the same time, the thumb and index finger pluck the strings. The lowest string produces a continuous, low note called a drone. The highest string is tuned an octave higher and is not pressed down. The third string is tuned a fourth above the drone. A buzzing sound from the sintir is caused by metal rings attached to a metal feather at the end of the neck. The feather and rings vibrate along with the instrument.

The instrument’s body is hollowed from a single piece of wood and covered with camel or goat skin. The long neck passes through the top of the body and extends under the face, coming out near the base of the instrument to hold the strings. Sliding leather rings and a rattle-like metal piece are common features in similar West African instruments, such as the kora and xalam (a type of lute). The way the sintir is played, with tapping and plucking, is similar to both West African and American banjo techniques.

Since the sintir is mainly used by the Gnawa people (North Africans of Sub-Saharan African descent), it likely developed from similar skin-covered lutes in regions like Mali or other parts of the Sahel, such as the ngoni, xalam, or hoddu.

Styles

Sintirs are often used in different types of music:

Tagnawit: This is the music of the Gnawa people. They use a large instrument called the guembri, which has a long, rectangular body. A hole in the skin near the bridge helps the instrument sound better. The guembri has three strings: two that reach the end of the neck and one that reaches halfway. The two longer strings are tuned in fourths and were once tied to the neck with special knots, but now many use tuning pegs like those on guitars or basses. Keeping the strings in tune depends on the quality of the strings, air humidity, and a tradition of wetting the braided leather strips with saliva to stop them from moving. The shorter, thinner string is tuned like the lowest string and acts as a drone. Different families or traditions use different tunings, but common ones are C, F, D, and G. When Gnawa musicians clap instead of using krakebs (a type of castanets), they sometimes add a metal piece that rings when the guembri is played (called a sersara). The strings are plucked with the thumb or index finger, and the player may strike the body under the strings for a percussive sound. A Gnawa musician who plays the guembri is called a Maalem, or master of ceremonies. The Gnawa also call the guembri hajhouj or sintir. Famous guembri players include Abderahmane "Paco" Kiruche and Mahmoud Guinia from Essaouira, Ahmed and Mustapha Baqbou from Marrakesh, Abdelkader Amlil and Majid Bekkas from Rabat, and Hamid al Kasri from Ksar El Kebir, who later lived in the capital.

Izlan s Tamazight: This is sung poetry by the Berbers of the Middle and High Atlas regions. The instrument used has a body similar to a lute or mandolin but with a longer, thicker neck. Unlike the Gnawa guembri, this instrument has wooden tuners. It usually has four strings (sometimes five) tuned in fourths. Common tunings are A standard or C standard. It is played like a lute but has unique scales and key progressions specific to Berber music. The main performer plays the lute and sings, accompanied by bendir players and backup singers, who may include both men and women. The Berbers often call this instrument loutar, though in the Jebala area it is also called guembri. Popular loutar players include Mohamed Rouicha, Hammou Oulyazid, Hajjaoui, Mohamed Mssmodi Al Hamadi, and Maghni.

Malhun: This is sung poetry in Moroccan colloquial Arabic (Darija). The instrument used is similar in shape to the loutar but much smaller. It is not the main string instrument but is used to add different sounds to the music. It is sometimes called guenbri as well.

• A sintir, or guimbri, being played by Nuru Kane
• Moroccan Sintir (front)
• Moroccan Sintir (side view)
• Lotar (لوتار), a Berber guembri
• Tunisian guembri (الكمبري)
• El Mehdi Nassouli from Morocco, playing the sintir at The Cross Culture Festival in Warsaw, Poland, 2012