Nina Harries
double bass/voice | UK
Artist profile: https://makingtracksmusic.org/artists/nina-harries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninaharriesbass/
Nina’s story
Let’s check out the amazing things Nina does! Comedian Bill Bailey himself said she’s “probably the coolest bass player you’ll ever meet” — and he’s not wrong. Nina creates original music for her double bass and voice, drawing inspiration from ancient prose and strong feminist themes.
Nina has performed at major events like the Glastonbury Festival, English Folk Expo, OMNI Fete in Luxembourg, and the Blues Alive Festival. She also collaborates with a wide range of artists and groups, including Symphonica Featuring DJ Switch, The Burning Glass, John Fairhurst Trio, and the contemporary classical ensemble Echoshed. Nina has even worked with renowned artists like Anoushka Shankar and the Akram Khan Company.
Double bass - origin and history
Double bass as we know it today was modeled after the viol (also referred to as the viola da gamba, or gamba), predecessor to the modern violin used at court and for aristocratic gatherings primarily during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Although it’s a little more tricky to source than the rest of the violin family, it originated in Western Europe. During the 18th century it entered into common use in orchestras. Since it primarily served as a supporting instrument, providing harmony and rhythm, its evolving role led numerous artists to explore its soloistic potential and expand its capabilities beyond traditional use.
Anatomy of the instrument
Double-bass is undoubtedly the biggest instrument Making Tracks is hosting this year and it also has the advantage of being the lowest-pitched member of the entire orchestra sounding a whole octave lower than the cello. It can vary in size - the largest one is normally under six feet (1.8 meters) in length. Double bass usually has four heavy strings pitched E1-A1-D-G, while the fifth can be added (usually in jazz bands), so the high notes could be played more easily.
A contemporary version of the instrument uses two styles of bows, a short and narrow French bow, held palm downward, and a broader German bow. As one of the most versatile instruments in the orchestra and band - the one that holds the harmonic and rhythmic ground for the melodic parts of the ensemble in its earthy texture - the double bass can be found in numerous musical genres such as jazz, rockabilly, blues, swing, rock, bluegrass, country, tango played in a variety of techniques. Some of these include legato, staccato, spiccato, and détaché, as well as vibrato and a rocking left-hand technique to add expression and warmth to the tone. In folk, jazz, and blues, the bass is often plucked with numerous pizzicato techniques (plucking the strings).
Bodies of orchestral and concert double basses are commonly made from maple or spruce because of their durability. The fingerboard is typically made of ebony, however, players of genres such as psychobilly, blues, and bluegrass often use plywood laminate tops and backs for crafting their unique sound.
Interesting facts
the largest double-bass to ever be constructed was called an Octobass and was over 18 feet tall and seven feet wide!
some basses have an extension added to extend the length of the low E string so they can play even lower - typically they go as low as C!
origin of the double bass remains a mystery - it most probably originated as a direct descendent of other 15th-century Renaissance stringed instruments in the viol and violin families
although today we know that Joseph Haydn wrote the earliest concert for the double bass in 1763, record of the music was lost to a fire in the Eisenstadt library in Austria.
Paul Tutmarc invented the first bass guitar in the 1930s which soon overtook the popularity in bands and ensembles because of its lightness and portability
the double bass’s name comes from referring to the size being twice as long as a cello
the double bass actually sounds one octave lower than the notes it reads
the swirly part on the top of the double bass’s head is called the “scroll” because it looks like a scroll used to record text hundreds of years ago
do you know some movie tracks where double bass’s sound has the main role? you can hear it in 'Gone with the Wind', 'ET', 'Pan’s Labyrint', 'Sunshine' and 'The Shawshank Redemption' - but its most famous use it for sure the theme for 'Jaws'!
Mozart wrote and published one of the first printed double bass works, the aria Per questa bella mano
Artists to check out
Sources
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/viol/hd_viol.htm#:~:text=The%20viol%20.
https://clichemag.com/music/the-history-and-evolution-of-the-double-bass-a-fascinating-journey/
Watch the film Growing Into Music (2012) by Making Tracks advisory board member Lucy Durán, which explores how children in diverse cultures from different parts of the world acquire musical skills and knowledge.
