The sintir, also called the guembri or gimbri, 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 piece of wood and covered on one side with camel skin. The camel skin helps create sound, similar to how the membrane on a banjo works. The neck is a simple stick with three strings made from goat gut. These strings are plucked in a way that makes a sound similar to a cello, pedal harp, or double bass.

The strings are plucked using the knuckle side of the index finger and the inside of the thumb. While plucking, the player also slaps the top of the instrument’s body with their knuckles, creating a rhythmic, percussive sound. The lowest string is a drone note that stays in one pitch. The highest string is tuned an octave higher and is not pressed against the neck. The third string is tuned a fourth above the drone. A buzzing sound comes from metal rings attached to a metal feather at the end of the instrument’s neck. These rings and the feather vibrate along with the sintir’s sound.

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 exits near the bottom, acting as a tailpiece to hold the strings. Sliding leather rings and metal parts that create sound are also found on similar instruments like the kora and xalam. The way the sintir is played uses techniques similar to those found in West African music and American banjo styles.

The sintir is mainly used by the Gnawa people, who have roots in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is likely inspired by other skin-covered string instruments from the Sahel region, such as the ngoni, xalam, or hoddu.

Styles

Sintirs are often used in various types of music:

Tagnawit: This is the music of the Gnawa people. The guembri they use is the largest instrument, with a long, rectangular body. A hole is cut into the skin near the bridge to help the sound be louder. The guembri has three strings. Two of the strings stretch to the end of the neck, and the third 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 string quality, air humidity, and a tradition of wetting the leather strips that hold the strings with saliva to stop them from moving. The shorter, thinner string is tuned to the lowest note and acts as a drone string. Different families or traditions use different tunings, but the most common are C, F, D, and G. When the Gnawa people clap without using krakebs (a type of castanets), they sometimes add a small metal piece called a sersara that rings when the guembri is played. The strings are plucked with the thumb or index finger, and the player may tap the body of the instrument for a rhythmic sound. The person who plays the guembri is called a Maalem, meaning the master of ceremonies. The Gnawa also call the guembri hajhouj or sintir. Well-known guembri players in traditional and modern music include Abderahmane "Paco" Kiruche and Mahmoud Guinia from Essaouira, the Baqbou brothers 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 Atlas and High Atlas regions. The instrument has a body similar in size to a lute or mandolin but has a longer and thicker neck. Unlike the guembri used by the Gnawa, this instrument has wooden tuning pegs. 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 sounds, scales, and musical patterns specific to the Berbers. The main performer plays the instrument and sings, with support from bendir drum 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 is similar in shape to the loutar but is much smaller. It is not the main string instrument in this music style but is used to add different tones and sounds. 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