Frame Drums

A frame drum has a head stretched over a wide, shallow wooden frame and is played by hand – with the fingers, the palm or a beater. It is heard in Middle Eastern, medieval and folk music and in ceremonies, where many people know it as a shaman drum. This page offers Meinl, Sela and Terre frame drums from 7.5 to 22 inches in diameter, that is, roughly 19 to 56 cm, with a goatskin or synthetic head. You can choose from the traditional tar, bendir, daf and mizhar types, as well as the small South Indian kanjira.

Shaman drum for ceremonies or frame drum for a band?

Sela drums with diameters of 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 cm and the 50 cm Terre drum have a wooden frame and a goatskin head. People take them to ceremonies, meditations and music around the fire, where one hand holds the drum and the other strikes it. Sela drums have a handy feature: they are tuned by air pressure, and the pump is included in the package.

Meinl makes frame drums according to musical traditions. The tar is a light drum without any additions, the bendir has a string stretched under the head that adds a buzz, and the Persian daf has metal rings on the inside of the frame. The Meinl FD7KA kanjira, 7.5 inches in diameter, has a single pair of jingles in the frame and is played with the fingers.

Goatskin or synthetic head?

Goatskin sounds warm and deep, but it reacts to humidity and temperature – in cold and damp conditions it slackens and the sound loses its brightness. A synthetic head, marked TF in the name of Meinl drums, holds its tuning more steadily, so it suits playing outdoors and taking on your travels. Other drums played by hand, such as djembes, bongos or cajons, can be found among the percussion instruments.