Lessons & Clinics

“As a bass educator I help bass players develop a practice routine to consistently get the most powerful results in the shortest amount of time possible, so they can fully express themselves playing music and make steady progress in every practice session.”

Pfeiffer teaches bass guitar worldwide via internet, and gives clinics on rhythm section playing for bassists and drummers throughout the US. He is co-founder of Bass Immersion Day, conducting bass clinics and performing alongside such luminaries as Will Lee, John Patitucci, Gerald Veasley, Bakithi Kumalo, Adam Nitti and many more. Pfeiffer is a member of the featured performers/educators of Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp and a columnist for Bass Magazine.

Master the Bass (Worldwide)

Bass Lessons via Zoom or Skype

What to Practice When You Practice!

  1. E-mail information about your goals, influences and musical background

  2. Narrow the focus by responding to questions (via e-mail/phone)

  3. Set up Skype Session (30 minutes @ $75 / one hour @ $150)

At the Session:

  1. Receive Efficient and Balanced Practice Etudes

  2. Learn to Connect Your Fingers to Your Ears

  3. Discover How to Create Your Own Grooves/Solos

  4. Master the Building Blocks for Music

After the Session:

  1. PDF file is sent via e-mail (etude)

  2. MP3 file is sent via e-mail (etude)

You now have precisely targeted exercises to elevate your playing…go practice.

BASS MINI-CLINICS

Bass Mini-clinics are based on Patrick Pfeiffer’s Bass Immersion Day Clinics, but in a more intimate setting and with more hands-on interaction. Bass Mini-Clinics are limited to four bass players per class. Everyone is under headphones and with a bass in hand at all times. Individual questions are answered, problems are worked out and playing skills are elevated.

The duration of each Bass Mini-Clinic is 90 minutes and the tuition is $75 per person (payable at the time of booking and non-refundable). You need to bring:

  • Bass

  • Headphones

  • Cable

  • Pen and paper for personal notes

  • A desire to maximize your bass playing…that’s it!

Bass Gym

Bass Gym!

Bass Gym features stretches (without bass), finger exercises (with bass!) as well as etudes that will help you with aspects from finger independence to shifting, to rhythm and grooves, speed and dynamics...

New York City Gift
Testimonial: Bill Evans, New York, NY

“Just play anything” was the first thing Patrick Pfeiffer said to me after our introduction in my first lesson. This type of statement is somewhat unnerving and the next few minutes that followed felt a little like a dental exam when the doctor is poking around but not necessarily saying anything. When I was done, Patrick’s diagnosis was complete. I had been playing bass guitar for about 25 years and was primarily self-taught. Patrick immediately noted my strengths and my weaknesses — weaknesses that had eluded improvement for my entire playing career. 

With great confidence, Patrick assured me that there were specific exercises that could cure my problems while enhancing my strengths. I was a little skeptical but Patrick was absolutely correct. What I found most interesting about Patrick’s teaching methodology was his stealth. He is a monster bass player and could easily intimidate almost anyone with his prowess. Intimidation is, however, not his approach. For all his musical genius, Patrick is one of the most humble and approachable people I have ever met (read here great teacher potential). 

Over the following several weeks, Patrick honed in even more precisely on my weaknesses and designed his own “compound exercises” to address them. These exercises were, for me, amazing: each exercise was targeted at developing one specific skill — but — each exercise taught multiple concepts simultaneously. For example, he might prescribe a right-hand string crossing exercise (aimed principally at correct two-finger technique) that embedded alternative scale patterns and root note location on the fingerboard — very subtle. The funny thing is that I would stay so focused on the main goal of the exercise, I would not even notice the other major ideas that I was digesting. 

I am happy to say that after about one year with Patrick I am a completely new (and vastly improved) bass player. Much like someone who has gone to a good college, I now also feel much more empowered to know how to learn on my own. With Patrick’s guidance, I now easily play things that I could not have conceived of just a year ago and I truly believe that there is no limit to how far he can take me (or anyone). 

If you live in New York City or its environs, then consider yourself fortunate to have the opportunity to study bass guitar with Patrick Pfeiffer and, by all means, do so. If you do not take advantage of this rare New York City gift, then you may never fully appreciate just how good a bass player you could become (and how much you might enjoy it!).