Abraham Laboriel

                                     

Written down in history as the most hired bassist of our generation (Guitar Player Magazine), Abraham Laboriel continues to amaze in each and every song he plays in. This guy's got it all. Being Born in Mexico City, Laboriel always had aptitude for music. You can see much of the Spanish influence in many of his solos, because of the use of flamenco-style techniques. Laboriel is currently working in a band with Greg Mathieson, Bill Maxwell, and Justo Almario, called Open Hands. I personally don't listen to their music, however I really enjoy listening to Laboriel preforming his solos. Also, Laboriel is credited with using and reviving the 4 finger technique from classical guitar. He found a way to modernize the skill, and it proved very useful to him. Laboriel has worked with Michael Jackson, Barbera Streisand, Elton John, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Paul Jackson, Jr., and so many more. Check out the videos for more!



Four Finger Technique Lesson

Abraham Laboriel Solo

Les Claypool

                            

Les Claypool is a 52 year old Bassist, known for his membership in the band Primus. Claypool is especially known for his Flamenco- style strumming, tapping, slapping, and whammy bar usage. Claypool typically plays alternative rock, funk metal, and progressive rock. As a group, Primus plays funk metal. Personally, I find their music a bit strange, especially in their hit song "my name is mud", because of the repetition of the phrase "my name is mud" throughout the song. As a  bassist, Claypool incorporates musical styles from around the world very successfully to create a distinct musical voice for himself. As a young adult, Claypool began playing bass and was just having fun with it. His good friend during his childhood was Kirk Hammett of Metallica. Later, Hammett pushed Claypool into joining the band after the death of their beloved bass player, Cliff Burton. James Hetfield, the singer for Metallica said that "Claypool was too good" to be part of their band, and that he should do his own thing. Claypool did so, creating Primus, which became unusually successful for their type of genre. I think the video I posted below shows his skill in bass the most-- slap bass is pretty difficult to master, and he plays it well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5XeVLJeMdE

Marcus Miller

Marcus Miller is almost always put in the "cannon" of best bass players because of his unique slap bass skills and bass lines. Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 14 1959. He was born to a family of musicians: his mother was a jazz pianist and his father was a church organist. By the time he was 13, he was proficient in bass, guitar, piano, and clarinet. These skills gave him the opportunity to play regularly around New York City. His skills pushed him straight to the top, and allowed him to play on over 500 different albums. These artists include Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Wayne Shorter, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, LL Cool J, and many many more. More recently, he came together with multiple different skilled musicians to form his own band, and started creating his own music. Marcus Miller has also won Grammy Awards for his producing abilities on other peoples albums. This guy can seriously do anything! Marcus Miller's signature bass is a 1977 Fender Jazz bass, shown in the picture above. Fender eventually came out with a Marcus Miller Signature bass series, but he doesn't use it that often. To really feel what Marcus Miller is all about, it is best to hear some of his best work. Check out his music below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Q8Ual3coM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBWcEyFZW78

Victor Wooten

Victor Lemonte Wooten, 1 of the 5 Wooten brothers raised in Newport News, Virginia, is an avid and talented bass player. Victor is the recipient of 5 Grammy awards,  and was put in the list of "Top Ten Best Bass players" by the Rolling Stones. Interestingly, all 5 of the Wooten brothers were musicians, and they eventually created "The Wooten Brothers Band". They became very successful as a result of their talents, and later on split off into their own individual paths of musical success. In 1988, Victor joined Bela Fleck in the pursuit of creating Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. This is when Victor really blew up. They played an equal mixture of bluegrass, blu-bop, and fusion to create their interesting music. Victor really shined on their song, "sinister Minister", where he demonstrated his phenomenal slap bass skills. During this time, Victor also received his own signature bass model from Fodera, called the Yin-Yang Bass (see picture). Victor currently incorporates his bass skills and teachings into a summer camp, which is designed to teach kids about their musical abilities and develop their bass skills. Check out some of his music below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEyEu-hS0fA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVQEe8OI3zk