Instruments

Once the tamburitza player played alone with the lone tamburitza. That also happens today with old folk melodies. A larger number of musicians creates a nicer harmony. The smallest tamburitza ensemble can be composed of just three musicians, which is called a tercet (trio), and of course there are also quartets, quintets, etc.

Normally a small tamburitza ensemble has 7 to 10 members. If there are more members than this then it is referred to as a larger tamburitza ensemble. If the group has 20 or more musicians, that ensemble can be called a tamburitza orchestra.

There are many ways of forming a tamburitza ensemble. Normally groups of eight are formed: Bisernica I. and  II., Viola I., Viola II., Viola III., Cello-Viola (or Čelović), Bugaria II. and Berda, and most tamburitza compositions are written for this kind of organization.

The tamburitza group Šukar mostly uses tamburitzas of the Srem E-arrangement and most often uses the following instruments: viola 1, viola 2, tamburitza cello, bugaria and bass. Often the 1. viola is interchanged with the bisernica, which in that case plays the basic melody or violin. When performing, the group Šukar more and more frequently uses the double bass as well in its make-up, which replaces the tamburitza bass, berde or begeš. The distinguishing feature of all of our instruments is that they have 4 strings (with some instruments the first string is doubled) and they are tuned in clear fourths, except for the bugaria, which is tuned like a guitar. We play all tamburitzas with the help of picks made of cow horn, which we also make ourselves.