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About The Instructor
Cliff Engel is a bass guitarist and the founder of the International Institute of Bassists (InstituteOfBass.com). He has been playing electric bass in all styles of music for 25 years with a primary emphasis on solo bass guitar and contemporary jazz. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Cliff has provided instruction on electric bass guitar and acoustic upright bass locally and to thousands of bassists around the world through his online bass courses, live video bass lessons, and bass lessons by correspondence.
Cliff is a former long-time student of legendary jazz improvisation instructor Charlie Banacos (New England Conservatory of Music, 1993-1999). He also studied bass and music performance under the guidance of Anthony Vitti while at Berklee College of Music in Boston before graduating with a bachelor of arts degree from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
As a solo bassist, Cliff has been arranging and performing contemporary music for unaccompanied electric bass guitar for many years by combining fingerstyle, slapping, tapping, and chordal techniques with altered tunings. Cliff has also been featured in a number of ensembles including regional jazz duos, trios, quartets and quintets, fusion bands, rock bands, funk bands, big bands, R&B bands, country bands, musicals, choirs, churches, and orchestras.
In April, 1997, Cliff founded the International Institute Of Bassists (IIB) at InstituteOfBass.com (formerly BASSically.net). He has authored 6 online bass courses at the IIB including Contemporary Techniques - The Basics & Beyond For Bass Guitar (2013), Jazz Improvisation For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2012), Sight Reading For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2012), Music Theory For Bass - Essential Concepts For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2011), Soloing Techniques For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2010), and Jazz Bass Lines - Contemporary Concepts For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2009).
As editor of the IIB and a freelance writer, Cliff has written promotional press for dozens of leading music manufacturers including Zon Guitars, Carvin Guitars, SWR Sound, Aguilar Amplification, D'Addario Strings, La Bella Strings, Markbass Amplification, Gallien-Krueger, Ibanez, Evidence Audio, and Line 6 as well as for bassists such as Michael Manring, Marcus Miller, John Patitucci, Brian Bromberg, Alain Caron, Stuart Hamm, Gary Willis, Jeff Berlin, Keith Horne, Mike Pope, Tom Kennedy, Todd Johnson, Norm Stockton, Adam Nitti, Matt Garrison, Trip Wamsley, Ray Riendeau, and Damian Erskine which has been featured in a variety of print and online resources including magazines, instructional books, DVDs, CDs, product brochures, and on artist/manufacturer web sites. He also assisted in the editing of the 28-page PDF booklet which appeared on the enhanced CD portion of Michael Manring's solo bass recording Soliloquy in 2005 and consisted of extended project notes on the recording process including the basses, tunings, recording equipment, and techniques utilized along with track notes detailing conceptual and technical aspects for each composition.
For more information on Cliff Engel, visit: CliffEngel.com.
Testimonials submitted by students who have studied online with Cliff Engel
Cliff is a former long-time student of legendary jazz improvisation instructor Charlie Banacos (New England Conservatory of Music, 1993-1999). He also studied bass and music performance under the guidance of Anthony Vitti while at Berklee College of Music in Boston before graduating with a bachelor of arts degree from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
As a solo bassist, Cliff has been arranging and performing contemporary music for unaccompanied electric bass guitar for many years by combining fingerstyle, slapping, tapping, and chordal techniques with altered tunings. Cliff has also been featured in a number of ensembles including regional jazz duos, trios, quartets and quintets, fusion bands, rock bands, funk bands, big bands, R&B bands, country bands, musicals, choirs, churches, and orchestras.
In April, 1997, Cliff founded the International Institute Of Bassists (IIB) at InstituteOfBass.com (formerly BASSically.net). He has authored 6 online bass courses at the IIB including Contemporary Techniques - The Basics & Beyond For Bass Guitar (2013), Jazz Improvisation For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2012), Sight Reading For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2012), Music Theory For Bass - Essential Concepts For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2011), Soloing Techniques For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2010), and Jazz Bass Lines - Contemporary Concepts For Bass Guitar & Acoustic Bass (2009).
As editor of the IIB and a freelance writer, Cliff has written promotional press for dozens of leading music manufacturers including Zon Guitars, Carvin Guitars, SWR Sound, Aguilar Amplification, D'Addario Strings, La Bella Strings, Markbass Amplification, Gallien-Krueger, Ibanez, Evidence Audio, and Line 6 as well as for bassists such as Michael Manring, Marcus Miller, John Patitucci, Brian Bromberg, Alain Caron, Stuart Hamm, Gary Willis, Jeff Berlin, Keith Horne, Mike Pope, Tom Kennedy, Todd Johnson, Norm Stockton, Adam Nitti, Matt Garrison, Trip Wamsley, Ray Riendeau, and Damian Erskine which has been featured in a variety of print and online resources including magazines, instructional books, DVDs, CDs, product brochures, and on artist/manufacturer web sites. He also assisted in the editing of the 28-page PDF booklet which appeared on the enhanced CD portion of Michael Manring's solo bass recording Soliloquy in 2005 and consisted of extended project notes on the recording process including the basses, tunings, recording equipment, and techniques utilized along with track notes detailing conceptual and technical aspects for each composition.
For more information on Cliff Engel, visit: CliffEngel.com.
Testimonials submitted by students who have studied online with Cliff Engel
