Bass Lessons By Correspondence F.A.Q.'s

Over the years, I've received a number of questions regarding my bass lessons by correspondence program. Below you will find a collection of the most frequently asked questions about my lessons.

The most significant difference between my correspondence lessons and other online teaching methods such as BerkleeMusic.com or MusicDojo.com is that my lessons are specifically designed to meet the needs and goals of each individual student. These other programs follow a "one-size-fits-all approach." Unlike these other programs, my lessons are all personally tailored to the needs of each individual in the sense that even though all bassists need to have a thorough understanding of certain techniques and concepts, the order and manner in which they should be presented with this material sometimes differs from one bassist to the next. While my program doesn't require an audition, I do ask that you fill out and submit The Bass Lessons By Correspondence Enrollment Form. The information that you provide by completing and submitting this short form assists me in assembling a program that will be specially aimed to meet your unique needs and goals. I've instructed hundreds of students over the past several years, and experience has proven that no two students are ever at the exact same level. For example, some students have a very thorough understanding of music theory and are very proficient sight readers while others are not. By analyzing the information that you submit to me within the enrollment form, I can better assess your entry level and design a program accordingly. To enroll in most other online programs, you simply pick a course, open an account, pay for it, and begin at a pre-determined level by the instructor of that course without any concern for your own distinct needs. Another very important difference in comparing other online methods of music instruction to mine is that in my lessons we'll study many different subject areas concurrently whereas in the "one-size-fits-all approach" of the other online programs, you will study only one subject, such as theory, at a time unless you pay for multiple courses. In addition, my correspondence lessons are MUCH CHEAPER than any other online music program that you will find anywhere on the internet.

My MusicDojo.com course, "The Jazz Improviser's Toolkit," is designed for those students wishing to gain an overview of just basic jazz improvisation. My correspondence lessons are structured for bassists of all levels from beginner to advanced and all styles of traditional and contemporary music including jazz, classical, fusion, etc. Within my correspondence lessons, we may study jazz improvisation, but we may also study, upon your request, many other subject areas including Music Theory, Sight Reading, Ear Training, Bass Line Construction, Right & Left Hand Technique, Soloing, Slapping, Tapping, Chordal Techniques, Harmonics, Fingerstyle Funk, Altered Tunings, Concepts For Solo Bass Playing, and much more. In other words, the focus of my MusicDojo.com course is only basic jazz improvisation concepts whereas my correspondence lessons are much broader in scope.

To determine if online learning is right for you, answer the following questions:
- Are you self-motivated to practice and complete assignments?
- Do you work well independently?
- Can you devote at least 30 minutes per day to practicing the lesson material?
If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, you are ready for online learning through my correspondence program!

You may purchase lessons via PayPal by going to: http://www.cliffengel.com/bass_lessons/correspondence/enroll. Towards the bottom of that page, you will see a "Buy Cliff's Lessons" PayPal icon. Simply click on that icon and follow the instructions. PayPal is the preferred method of payment if you are located outside the United States because then we won't have to deal with foreign currencies and exchange rates. You may also purchase lessons by check or money order in United States dollars by mailing your purchase to me at: Cliff Engel, P.O. Box 874, Hays, KS 67601, United States.

I do try to sell these lessons in blocks of 5 for a couple reasons. First, compared to most one-on-one private lessons, my lessons are really cheap. REALLY CHEAP! Each lesson I post generally requires at least 1-2 hours of preparation, and I think you will find that the amount and quality of my lesson material far exceeds what virtually all private bass instructors are going to present you in a single lesson. By purchasing lessons in blocks of 5, you are helping me keep prices low for everyone. Second, if you purchase lessons in blocks of 5, that shows me a level of commitment and dedication to these lessons on your end. I take teaching bass very seriously, and I believe that anyone who is really dedicated to learning about the instrument, its history, and playing should take lessons seriously too.

You will need to have access to a reliable computer with an internet connection, browser, and e-mail. Unless other arrangements are made in advance, new lesson material will be posted for you on a bi-weekly basis. After posting new lesson material, I will notify you by way of e-mail that your new lesson is available for viewing and download on a lesson's page made specifically for you on this web site. To listen to all of the audio clips including the MP3 play-alongs, you will need an audio player such as the Windows Media Audio Player (which you probably already have on your computer if you are running the Windows operating system). To view the notated examples, you will need the Adobe Reader. Both the Windows Media Audio Player and the Adobe Reader are free downloads from the internet. Finally, if you would like to schedule a live, one-on-one chat session to discuss your progress, ask questions, etc., you will also need to have the Flash plugin installed on your computer. If you don't already have these programs/plugins installed on your computer, you will be able to access these downloads from your lesson's page.

Probably too much! I think almost every former student of mine would agree that these lessons are money well spent. I have many students that will take a few lessons and then take a couple weeks or so off before continuing just to fully digest all the lesson material. Since I obviously can't be there in person for a live, one-on-one lesson, it's a real juggling act on my end to judge how much material I think you can handle from one lesson to the next, and through your feedback, I try to balance that the best I can. Sometimes things just come up unexpectedly due to work, etc., and you might not have as much time one week to devote to our lessons. That is totally ok. I try to keep the lessons moving at a good pace without overburdening you. Each lesson will include an audio clip in the MP3 format in which I outline how to best practice the notated examples. Each audio clip will vary in length depending on the subject matter that we are working on in that particular lesson. Some lesson material requires more detailed analysis from me whereas other lesson material will be fairly self-explanatory. Generally speaking, with each lesson you can expect to receive an audio clip that lasts 30-60 minutes in length. With each lesson, you will also receive a number of pages full of notated exercises. This too will depend on what we are covering in that lesson. Some lessons will include MP3 play-alongs and video clips when applicable. Unlike many other online learning programs which allow you access to course material for only 2-4 weeks upon completing a course, you will be able to keep all of the lesson material that we cover in our lessons for future reference.

If you can devote 30 minutes per day to our lessons, you will have no problems with the lesson material. The key to obtaining the maximum results with these lessons is consistent practice on a daily basis. If you have a couple hours per day to practice, that's excellent and you will definitely see a more dramatic improvement in a shorter span of time. Realistically, the vast majority of people are not able to make this kind of time investment due to work, family, etc. But, if you can make 30 minutes per day available to practice our lesson material, you will do great, and you will see your skills as a bassist improve significantly within just a few months.

Yes. As long as you have access to a computer with an internet connection and meet the technical requirements outlined above, we can conduct lessons from the most remote places on the planet.

No. The majority of the lesson material will include tablature along with standard notation. Nearly all of my students understand that there are so many benefits and opportunities to be realized by learning how to read music notation. In fact, many of my students contact me just to study standard notation and become more proficient at sight reading because teaching sight reading is one of my areas of specialty.

No. Once I post lesson material on your lesson's page, you can view and download that lesson material when it's most convenient for you. The only time you would need to be online is for a chat session which we would schedule during a time slot that works best for you. One of the greatest advantages of online, web-based learning is that it can take place anytime anywhere. Without compromising your personal and professional commitments, you can assimilate the lesson material into your schedule. Although my lesson material will be challenging and require you to keep up with the assignments, you get to choose the place and time that you work on that material.

Absolutely! If you would like to schedule a live, one-on-one chat session to discuss your progress, ask questions, or chat about all things bass, just send me a couple times that work most conveniently for your schedule, and we can chat via my chat room. Although chat sessions are not required, they are highly encouraged.

I make every effort possible to reply to questions within 24 hours, especially if it is a question that requires an immediate response from me in order to keep you progressing through the lesson material. If you submit a question that I feel may be more thoroughly answered in a lesson audio clip or does not require an immediate reply, I will save your question and provide an answer in the very next lesson audio clip. You will always receive an answer from me by the very next lesson.

No. I will provide you with all the instructional materials that you will need including notated exercises, audio instruction, MP3 play-alongs, and video clips when necessary.

Absolutely! Although I do not require that anyone submit recorded passages or notate extra exercises to demonstrate the assimilation of the lesson material we have covered in our lessons, I highly recommend it every few lessons. This allows me to review and critique your playing and offer possible suggestions. You won't need expensive equipment to notate lines or record your bass for these lessons. To notate additional exercises, check out the free version of Finale called NotePad. It's very easy to use, and it will allow you do notate bass lines or solo phrases that you can e-mail to me. All you need to record your playing is just a cheap microphone that you can plug into your computer's sound card. There are many free software programs available on the internet that will allow you to record your performance and e-mail it to me (please be sure that no file exceeds 5 MB in size or my e-mail will reject it). I've been using the free Windows Media Encoder for years, and I highly recommend it.

No problem at all. Practically everyone's computer crashes at some point in time due to a virus, power surge, or some other reason out of their control. No worries though because I save all of our lesson material on my computer, and I can e-mail it to you upon request.

We will continue our correspondence lessons until you feel you have reached your goals or until I feel I can no longer be of help to you after a certain level of development. I have had several students study with me through my correspondence program for over a year.

Absolutely not. The lessons are structured for bassists of all ages, playing levels from beginner to advanced, and all styles of traditional and contemporary music. I have taught students from grade school level to age 80.

You can contact me 24/7 by e-mail at: instituteofbass@yahoo.com.

There are many great software programs available that you can use along with our lesson material. If you'd like to simulate a band setting to play alongside, I'd highly recommend checking out Band-In-A-Box. With BIAB, you can enter different chord changes, pick a style and tempo, and then practice improvising bass lines and soloing over chord changes. If you'd like to record your performance, check out either Audacity or GarageBand. Both of these programs work great for capturing your playing.

If, at any time for any reason, you are not 100% satisfied with our lessons and wish to discontinue them, I will gladly refund the remaining balance of your lesson's purchase.