About
I believe music nourishes the soul and touches the heart. It allows me as a performer and composer to share my emotions and my spirit with the audience. I play bass, the instrument that perfectly balances rhythm and harmony, providing the powerful heartbeat of the band.
My favorite instrument is the fretless six-string electric bass and my style is a distinctive blend of percolating, percussive notes that weave into the complex fabric of a groove and can unexpectedly soar with vocal-like quality. I incorporate elements of the sophistication of jazz, the grittiness of funk and the earthy feel of R&B, all germinating in a potent mix. My music implies simplicity, but upon closer examination reveals layers of complex harmonic structures and syncopated rhythms.
I write bass books, explaining the finer points of bass playing, even inventing new language to describe certain aspects of music. I hope to inspire, empower and motivate bass players everywhere to achieve their highest level of artistic, creative and spiritual expression, so that they in turn can use their knowledge to create great music. My aim is to bring joy, passion, love, peace and harmony to all through the healing power of music.
Patrick Pfeiffer
New York City, New York, USA
“Pfeiffer’s bass serves as the protagonist of an album that changes vibes on every track, the only obvious reoccurring property being his tastefulness and virtuosity.”
“Pfeiffer brings finely articulated grooves, thoughtful ballad work, and head-turning solos to his debut solo release. Although his style and sound owe much to Jaco, Patrick puts his own worthy stamp on the legacy.”
“Pfeiffer can take pride in having created a superb recording, bolstered by excellent contributions by his supporting cast of players, original compositions, and a forum for him to demonstrate his commanding abilities on electric bass.”
“Patrick’s teaching technique showed me how to connect the bits of technique I’d collected into a playing style.”
“Of the myriad tools available for bassists, ‘Bass Guitar for Dummies’ is at the pinnacle of them all.”
“Bass Guitar Exercises For Dummies’ is a masterwork…an invaluable resource for all bassists and should be in every bassist’s library regardless of their ability. I wish I had this book 40 years ago.”
One Sheet
Patrick Pfeiffer is a professional bassist, composer, clinician, author and global bass educator from New York City. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in music from Arizona State University, and his Master’s in jazz studies (with distinction) from the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music. Pfeiffer’s solo CDs Fruits and Nuts as well as Soul of the City earned stellar reviews from Bass Player Magazine, Jazz Improv Magazine, Jazziz, and others. Besides performing and recording, Pfeiffer teaches bass guitar worldwide via Skype and Zoom and gives clinics on rhythm section playing for bassists and drummers throughout the US. He is co-founder of Bass Immersion Day and often conducts clinics alongside such luminaries as Will Lee, John Patitucci, Gerald Veasley, Michael Manring, Bakithi Kumalo, Adam Nitti and many more. Pfeiffer also has a regular column in Bass Magazine.
His former students include Adam Clayton of U2, Jean-Louis Locas of Cirque du Soleil, Mark Wike of the Bogmen, Alec Such of Bon Jovi, Paul DeVincenzo of Elle King, Damon Martin of Naked, and Nick diPierro of Her & Kings County. Other former clients include Red Ant Records, PolyGram and Arista Records.
Pfeiffer has played and/or recorded with George Clinton, Jimmy Norman, Phoebe Snow, Slam Stewart, Paul Griffin, Bernard Purdie, Babatunde Olatunji, Sheila Jordan, George Russell, Margaret Whiting, Joe Lovano, Carlos Alomar, Hernan Romero, Katie Agresta, the Marvelettes, the KMA Allstars, the Gary Corwin Dream Band, and many others.
Pfeiffer has been a featured artist and adjudicator in the Jazz on the Great Plains festival in South Dakota and repeatedly one of the featured performers and instructors at Gerald Veasley’s famous Bass Boot Camp. His latest project, a concept CD named Soul of the City, was supported by the New York Foundation for the Arts.
Besides the best-selling Bass Guitar for Dummies editions, which have been translated into eight languages to date, Pfeiffer also authored Bass Guitar Exercises For Dummies (published by Wiley), Improve Your Groove: The Ultimate Guide For Bass (published by Hal Leonard), and Daily Grooves for Bass (published by Carl Fischer).
Pfeffer is an endorsing artist for Phil Jones Bass amplification and for the elite bass companies MTD and Fodera.
Professional Profile
Empowering bass players and elevating the art of bass playing.
Masters Degree with distinction in Jazz Studies and Bachelors Degree in Jazz Performance.
Bestselling bass book author (six published books/eight languages) and Columnist for Bass Magazine.
Recording artist, performer and composer (critically acclaimed solo CDs Fruits and Nuts and Soul of the City).
Education
Master of Music in Jazz Studies: New England Conservatory, Boston, MA. 1985
Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. 1983
Educator
Trained bassists of all levels (beginner through professional) in one-on-one settings. Former students include Adam Clayton (U2), Jean-Louis Locas (Cirque du Soleil), Paul DeVincenzo (Elle King), Alec Such (Jon Bon Jovi), Mark Wike (Bogmen).
Retained by Polygram Records, Arista Records and Red Ant Records to prepare signed bassists for tours and recordings.
Developed an integrated harmonic-rhythmic resolution system of exercises to help bass players prepare for true musical situations.
Invented new language to describe bass-specific groove building blocks.
Performer
Performed and/or recorded with George Clinton, Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Norman (Coasters), Slam Stewart, Babatunde Olatunji, Sheila Jordan, George Russell, Margaret Whiting, Joe Lovano, Carlos Alomar, Al DiMeola, The Marvelettes, Paul Griffin (Steely Dan), Bernard Purdie (Steely Dan), Katie Agresta, Gary Corwin and many more. Studio bassist for KMA Studios in New York City from 2003 through 2009.
Clinician
Designed and conducted numerous clinics for bassists and rhythm sections in both hands-on and lecture format. Conducted several Bass Immersion Days in New York and Philadelphia featuring world class bassists (Will Lee, John Patitucci, Gerald Veasley, Adam Nitti, Bakithi Kumalo to name a few). Frequently featured as performer and instructor at Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp.
Author
Bass Guitar For Dummies, 2003
Published by Wiley & Sons: International bestseller, translated into eight languages
Improve Your Groove – The Ultimate Guide for Bass, 2006
Published by Hal Leonard: The book is used in bass courses at Berklee in Boston.
Daily Grooves For Bass, 2009
Published by Carl Fischer
Bass Guitar For Dummies – 2nd Edition, 2010
Published by Wiley & Sons: International bestseller
Bass Guitar Exercises For Dummies, 2010/2020
Published by Wiley & Sons
Bass Guitar For Dummies 3rd Edition, 2014/2020
Published by Wiley & Sons: International bestseller
Special Features
U2 By U2, mentioned and indexed in the book by the band U2.
Bass Player Magazine, featured as performer at Bass Days New York.
Columnist for Bass Magazine (Beginner Bass Base)
Endorsing artist for Fodera and string consultant for Fodera bass strings.
Endorsing artist for MTD basses.
Endorsing artist for Phil Jones Bass Amplification.