Bisernica [and] Contrasica: shaped similar to a ukelele [sic], but with a long fingerboard. They have three pairs of strings, one pair tuned to g', two pairs to a d' (unison). One pair of d strings in fretted for what would be the white keys of the piano; the second pair is fretted for the equivalent of the black keys. The instruments play soprano and alto parts, respectively.
Brac: 1, 2 and 3: Mandolin-shaped, and fretted as above. A tenor instrument tuned as above, but an octave lower than Bisernica.
Drüga Bugaria: Shaped like a guitar and fretted as above. It is tuned to a G major chord: Lowest string to highest: d, b, g, d'.
Berdo: Corresponds to string bass, but is guitar-shaped and fretted as the rest. It is strung with heavy-gauge piano strings. There are two Gs, 2 Ds, and 2 As, but instead of being tuned in unison, these pairs are tuned in octaves, making a 'cello and a double bass in one instrument. Because of tradition these instruments are tuned a half step higher, making them transposing instruments, e.g., D has been tuned to D#.
This organization was first directed by Charles Eliaš, Sr. (now dead), who was born in Jugoslavia in 1886. he came to Milwaukee in 1902 and taught many tamburica orchestra in this country.