An Ethiopian string instrument that resembles a large lyre and produces an otherworldly buzzing sound. Known as the instrument of noblemen, monks, and the upper class and performed by both men and women, the begena was used primarily as an accompaniment during meditation and prayer.

Even though the begena has 10 strings, only 6 are actually sounded by plucking. That is, the left hand plucks strings 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10. The pointing finger plucks strings 3 and 4 while the other fingers are in charge of controlling one string each. The remaining strings are used for the finger rests or stops after the strings have been plucked allowing the plucked string to vibrate.

Thong buzzers are used as a method of sound amplification. Each buzzer is a U-shaped leather thong that is placed between each string and the bridge. The thong for each string is adjusted up or down so that the string, when plucked, repeatedly vibrates against the edge of the bridge, producing the characteristic buzzing sound which is more penetrating than music played without the buzzers.