Tamburica

Tamburica (/tæmˈbʊərɪtsə/ tam-BOOR-it-sə or /ˌtæmbəˈrɪtsə/ TAM-bər-IT-sə; sometimes written tamburrizza or tamburitza; Serbo-Croatian: tamburica / тамбурица, lit. 'little tamboura') or tamboura (Hungarian: tambura; Greek: ταμπουράς, romanized: tampourás) refers to a family of long-necked lutes popular in Southeast Europe and southeastern Central Europe, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia (of which it is the national string instrument), Hungary, Serbia (in Vojvodina, Mačva, and Posavo-Tamnava), and Slovenia. It is also known in Burgenland, Austria. All took their name and some characteristics from the Persian tanbur but also resemble the mandolin and guitar in the sense that its strings are plucked and often paired. The frets may be moveable to allow the playing of various modes. The variety of tamburica shapes known today were developed in Serbia and Croatia by a number of indigenous contributors near the end of the 19th century.