Top |top| | Basslessonabrahamlaborielbeginningfunkbass1pdf

“Beginner? No. You’re a seed. Funk is the dirt. Now, forget this PDF. Turn off your screen. Find a drummer who plays behind the beat. And for God’s sake, smile. The bass is the only instrument that makes people move their hips before their brain catches up.”

Abraham Laboriel is widely considered one of the most prolific session bassists of all time, having played on over 4,000 recordings for artists like Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, George Benson, and Madonna. His masterclass material, frequently searched for online via digital PDF downloads, serves as a master blueprint for time feel, percussive phrasing, and pure musical expression. Who is Abraham Laboriel?

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Originally a classically trained guitarist, Laboriel switched to bass while studying at the Berklee College of Music, graduating in 1972. However, his approach to the instrument is anything but traditional. He often describes his philosophy as playing the bass "like a drummer," focusing heavily on rhythm, percussive attacks, and groove above all else.

: Using the side of the thumb to strike the string against the fretboard, creating an immediate, punchy attack. “Beginner

: Diagrams for right-hand stroke techniques, including p-i-m (thumb-index-middle) strokes. Artist Biography

Perhaps the most liberating concept in Laboriel’s beginning funk curriculum is harmonic restriction . Unlike classical or jazz studies, a beginning funk bassist may spend an entire page on a single chord—usually E9, A7, or Dm7. Laboriel argues that true funk comes from rhythmic variation over a static harmony, not from complex chord changes. Funk is the dirt

: Placing ghost notes inside 16th-note grids to mimic a drum kit's hi-hat or snare ghost notes, driving the groove forward without muddying the harmony. 3. Harmonic Simplicity, Rhythmic Complexity

Playing in the precise spot where the rhythm feels best.

At minute fifty-eight, Marco’s left hand, which had been doing nothing, started tapping the neck in rhythm. The PDF never told him to do that. It just… happened. The one-note groove grew fingers, then toes, then a whole body. He was dancing while sitting down.