News

Last Update - 02/10/11

I have added 5 new bass lessons to The Free Online Bass Lessons Page. These new lessons include a complete transcription of "Purple Haze" as recorded by Michael Manring on Drastic Measures, a complete transcription of Ron Carter's walking bass lines on "Now's The Time" from the motion picture soundtrack for Bird, a solo bass arrangement of J.S. Bach's "Cello Suite No. 1 - Prelude In G Major," a 50-page collection of rhythm studies exercises to increase the proficiency of your rhythmic recognition skills when sight reading standard notation for bass, as well as a lesson on constructing walking bass lines on modal tunes. I have also posted a compilation of MP3 play-along tracks featuring 50 Rock, Funk/R&B, Fusion & Shuffle Drum Grooves. ... READ MORE!

Thanks for visiting the new CliffEngel.com! Among the numerous updates to this web site are improved navigation, a more convenient enrollment process for both correspondence lessons and live video bass lessons, an expanded archive of free online bass lessons, as well as a new bass transcription service.

The old web site had been online for nearly 6 years, and all of the lessons that were featured on the old web site were written prior to 2005. Over the past several years, I have written an immense amount of lesson material covering various areas of contemporary bass playing including technique, theory, sight reading, bass line construction, improvisation, and soloing. I am currently in the process of reformatting some of the old lessons, and I will also be posting a new collection of instructional materials in the coming months. These free online bass lessons will be structured for bassists of all levels from beginner to advanced and all styles of traditional and contemporary music. The lessons will enhance your skills, increase your performance opportunities, and broaden your understanding of the language of improvisation along with the techniques and theories that are crucial to your success as a working bassist. As this archive of free online bass lessons continues to expand, a new lesson will be added every week.

I hope you find the new CliffEngel.com to be an indispensable online resource for the contemporary study and analysis of techniques, theory, and principles on bass guitar and acoustic upright bass. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to Contact Me.

If you live in a remote area and are unable to attend one-on-one lessons with a private instructor on a regular basis or you maintain a hectic schedule due to work or family commitments, studying bass online through my correspondence lessons is the next best alternative. Learn at your own pace, on your own time, in the comfort of your own home, and at a cost that is MUCH cheaper than the price of most one-on-one private bass lessons from a local instructor.

Purchase a group of 5 correspondence lessons and you can choose between receiving 3 additional correspondence lessons for FREE or a 1-hour live video bass lesson for FREE! That breaks down to just $10 per lesson! These are the lowest correspondence lesson rates I have ever been able to offer. Along with the free lessons, correspondence students will also receive 10 essential listening tracks with each lesson, access to my streaming video library, and free technical phone support throughout the duration of your studies within my program. ... READ MORE!

With each new correspondence lesson, you will receive 10 essential listening tracks which will demonstrate the potential of the bass guitar and the acoustic upright bass. These selected tracks consist of historically significant recordings which feature some of the most influential and renowned bass virtuosos since the first half of the 20th century. I went through my entire audio library which includes over 1000 CDs, most of which are either bass player led or feature the bassist in a prominent fashion, and picked the best material. Many of these essential tracks are no longer in print, and some of these rare tracks were never officially released by their respective artists.

My streaming video library showcases many of today's premier bassists and is available to all current students enrolled in correspondence lessons. The streaming video library has been assembled in order to demonstrate techniques such as slapping, tapping, chords, harmonics, and playing in altered tunings.

As a current student located within the continental United States, you have the option of scheduling a live chat session with me in order to discuss any lesson-related questions on the phone through my toll-free number. Live chat sessions can be scheduled any time between the hours of 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM Central U.S. time from Monday through Friday.

Using the latest video conferencing technology, we can conduct live, one-on-one video bass lessons from the most remote locations at a very affordable rate. Why waste transit time and money on gas while driving to and from private lessons when you can study bass online directly from the comfort of your own home? ... READ MORE!

Similar to studying a new language, learning to play any instrument requires the analysis of existing vocabulary to express and develop your own ideas. For less than the cost of a private lesson, you can start building a library of customized transcriptions featuring your favorite bass lines and solos. Over the past two decades, I have transcribed hundreds of complete compositions and excerpted parts of music at every level from the basic 8th-note rock of Blink-182 to extremely technical solo bass performances recorded in altered tunings by Michael Manring. ... READ MORE!