Tunable Tympano (Bendir)

A staple of Mediterranean musical and spiritual traditions from antiquity, the tympano is today known in Greece by its Arabic and Persian names, bendir and dahares. This shallow, single-membrane hand drum, customarily used to accompany melodic instruments, has evolved into a solo instrument. To fabricate a body that is both resilient and resonant, Kleo Xirou uses a solid wood three-layer lamination process, then pairs each drum with local goatskins.