The bara (BAH-rah, also bendre) is a gourd drum consisting of a large calabash, open on one end, and covered with goat skin. It does not produce bass notes, but has a strong characteristic, full low tone, and is capable of other sounds common to hand drums. Each bara is hand made in Mali using traditional methods. It is a large, thick calabash gourd, and is 15-17″ in diameter, 12-14″ in height, with an 9-10″ open playable surface.
