The beduk is made of a double-barreled drum with water buffalo leather on the sides. It is is a round-shaped instrument that is elongated lengthwise, and is suspended from a rack and played with a padded mallet.  The role of the beduk in the Malay community especially in the Malay Archipelago is non-musical.

Instead, it is an instrument for religious purposes especially in the mosques and surau . Normally the beduk is used  to signal prayer time.