The rababah , a two-string spike fiddle whose sound box is made from a coconut shell, is characteristically used by the sha'ir to accompany folk epics. The percussion instruments of Egypt are numerous and play an essential role in the music. They include the riqq , a tamourine-like instrument, the tablah, the tabl baladi, the tar, a large frame drum, and the mazhar, a large tambourine, with sets of cymbals. Small brass finger-cymbals, or sajat , are used by the dancers. The Arabian Gulf region presents a wide variety of instrument types and playing techniques.
Percussion plays a central part.
In terms of sonority and construction, the instruments seem to reflect the area's exposure to the Levant, Africa, and perhaps South Asia. Pearl fishermen's songs, or fijri, of Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain employ percussive sound in the form of complicated group hand-clapping. Another member of the pearl fishermen's song ensemble is the jahlah, a clay pot played with both hands. North Africa has numerous folk instruments, both melodic and percussive. These instruments accompany various genres of dance and song, both secular and sacred.