Video & Audio Media

A couple years after I began studying bass in 1987, I became engulfed with the sounds of solo electric bass. After hearing the solo sounds of bassists such as Michael Manring, Stu Hamm, and Brian Bromberg to name just a few, I knew that I had to delve deeper into the realm of solo electric bass. Today this continues to be my primary focus as a bassist. Don't get me wrong, playing with a band is very cool and important to the development of one's skills as a musician. Over the years I've literally run the entire gamut of gigs. I've played in practically every situation you can think of living in the Midwest including duet, trio, and quartet jazz settings, jazz ensembles, rock bands, and symphony orchestras. Back in the day there were even reports that I had been seen filling in at country gigs. However, one aspect of my playing has remained constant throughout the years and that is my desire to play solo electric bass. The sonic possibilites of the bass are almost limitless and only confined by one's imagination. With that said, to start things off here I thought I would cover a couple of my favorite selections from my solo bass repertoire. I hope you enjoy them. If you have any comments for me, please feel free to e-mail me any time at: instituteofbass@yahoo.com.

"Awesome performance, Cliff! You play it much better than I do! You are making great strides as a player and it's a pleasure to hear the wonderful balance of chops, groove, and sensitivity in your music. Keep up the good work!"

Michael Manring - August 2001

This solo electric bass arrangement by Michael Manring of the Jimi Hendrix' classic is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Hailed as one of Hendrix' signature songs, the opening riff and soulful, ear-catching melodic hook of "Purple Haze" remains today as large a part of rock culture as it did back in 1967 when it was originally recorded. I can only think of a couple tunes in all of rock history that have been covered more times than this classic. Saying that Hendrix is a guitar icon is a serious understatement. Few would argue that he influenced the playing of more guitarists than any other guitar player in history. He was a leading pioneer and innovator that blew open the doors to a whole new world of sonic possibilites on the electric guitar. I see solo bassist extraordinaire Michael Manring in much the same regard as I do Hendrix. Through Manring's virtuoso technical innovations, he has completely redefined the course of the bass tradition. Few musicians have made such a defining impact on their respective instrument in such a relatively short period of time as has Michael Manring. From traditional fingerstyle playing, to plucking, funk-style slapping, chord strumming, and two-handed tapping, Manring has mastered the complete arsenal of modern bass techniques. Add to that list his amazing and unparalleled work with the EBow, his trademark flawless fretless technique, his explorations with harmonics, and his extensive use of altered tunings. Only a few musicians ever reach such a high level of artistry. Many listeners who hear Manring's music for the very first time often mistake his texturally complex and intricate lines as belonging to that of a guitar player or keyboardist when in reality they are hearing a two-handed tapping riff. Manring's solo arrangement of "Purple Haze" was the first piece of solo bass music that I heard as a teenager in 1991 that really opened my ears to all the textural possibilities available on electric bass. It has taken me several years to pick out all the nuances that are happening within Manring's music. In fact, even after spending many years disecting bits and pieces of his music, every time I listen to him play I hear something different that I had never detected before, even if I've heard that same exact piece played for what seems literally the millionth time. This solo arrangement of "Purple Haze" appears on Drastic Measures, Manring's third recording as a solo artist. Drastic Measures is without a doubt one of the finest collections of solo bass and ensemble pieces ever captured on tape, and it has always been of my opinion that it is the greatest solo bass outing ever recorded. Unfortunately, it is no longer in print, but hopefully at some point in time it will be reissued for all those who missed the experience. If you have never had the opportunity to catch one of Manring's solo shows, I would highly recommend that you attend one if given the chance. As Steve Rodby, producer of Drastic Measures, once said... "Manring's music is almost ten times harder than it sounds." There is definitely a certain visual aspect to his playing that is lost within the context of the audio format. However, as one will see in concert, Manring's music is as visually captivating as it is aurally appealing. As a clinician, Manring incorporated this solo arrangement of "Purple Haze" into his solo show for a number of years. I've had the good fortune to catch his performance of this piece twice, and on both occasions I was left completely amazed at his level of virtuosity. From time to time over the past few years I've pulled out this solo arrangement to practice, but it wasn't until just a couple months ago that I decided at some point in the near future I would try to recreate that same intense performance of the piece. So here it is. I figured that at the very least, besides giving my friends and fellow bassists a chance to see me play "live", this video would be nice to archive for my own purposes. For me, this arrangement is so much fun to play because it incorporates many of the techniques that I like to use in my own playing and daily practice regimen including slapping and tapping while simultaneously manipulating two completely different lines. I didn't realize how difficult attempting to capture this arrangement "flub free" on video would be until I actually went for it. The take that I have posted is about as "perfect" as I could get it. "Purple Haze" was recorded on August 11, 2001. If you would like to find out more information on Michael Manring, be sure to check out: Manthing.com.

"Mr. Pastorius" is an unaccompanied solo electric bass composition by Marcus Miller. It originally appeared on Miller's 1993 solo effort, The Sun Don't Lie. Today, Miller is considered a true icon of the bass tradition and most widely recognized for his wicked slap chops, his producing efforts, and his high profile film scoring credits. However, if you ever have the opportunity to catch Miller live in concert or in a solo clinic, you will see that he is an extraordinary virtuoso solo bass performer as well. Over the years Miller has performed with everyone from Miles Davis to David Sanborn to Luther Vandross and virtually everyone in between, but it is his own solo projects that have captivated me the most. Although all of Miller's solo projects are equally impressive both from a composition and a bass technique point of view, The Sun Don't Lie still remains my favorite Marcus Miller recording. Shortly after hearing all of the truly remarkable pieces that were recorded for The Sun Don't Lie sessions in 1993 including Miller's incredible slapped arrangement of Jaco's famous "Teen Town", I knew that I had to add "Mr. Pastorius" to my repertoire of solo bass pieces. Miller named this track in honor of the late, great bass master, Jaco Pastorius. It is a beautifully crafted solo composition which primarily utilizes two-handed tapping and chordal techniques. I transcribed this piece back in 1994, but I wasn't able to exactly recreate the performance of this piece as Miller had originally performed it until after having studied Miller's performance of it on video. As you will notice in my Real Video performance or if you have ever seen Miller play this piece live, this composition consists of several hand-over-hand phrases which are integrated within a nicely arranged chord progression. With "Mr. Pastorius", not only is Miller able to captivate the audience visually with his hands crossing technique, but he also injects artificial pinched harmonics, slapping, plucking, blazing solo lines, and a wide range of dynamics all into a sensitive solo electric bass performance. I tried to capture that same sensitivity here. "Mr. Pastorius" was recorded on December 23, 2001. For more information on Marcus Miller, go to: MarcusMiller.com.

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"My compliments to you on the web site and videos. It made me pick up my bass to practice my tapping!" - William Maxwell

"Congrats on the Bass Player piece and keep up the great work!" - Dave Pomeroy

"I am just so impressed with the content of your web site." - Adam Nitti

"The videos kick major ass." - Josquin Des Pres

"I admire both your technical abilities as well as the determination to grow your skills while not conforming to the "requirement" that you live in California or New York." - Mark Allen

"I find it inspiring that you can, in the space of about 10 years, become such a virtuoso. I assume you are self-taught since you are in remote Kansas while the Manring's and Miller's seem to gravitate to the coasts. Thanks for the inspiration!" - Darrell Denlinger

"I've seen your videos and I just want to say that you are a wicked bassist." - Daniel Herrera

"I watched some of your videos. Holy guacamole!!" - Joe Fillmer

"I just checked out the Real Videos of you playing and they're awesome! In fact, your whole site looks great." - Brad Davidson

"Those solo pieces are awesome, man!" - Robin Grotenfelt