What it is
The default way to play bass: pluck with the tip of your index (i) and middle (m) fingers, strictly alternating. Pick-based playing exists and is fine, but fingerstyle is the foundational technique.
Why it matters
Alternating fingers is what lets you play fast without tensing up. If you pluck with the same finger twice in a row, your speed ceiling becomes that one finger.
How to practice
- Rest your thumb on the low E string (or the pickup).
- Pluck the open A string: i, m, i, m, i, m. Slowly. Count out loud.
- Every note is the same volume. That is the whole drill.
- Move to the D string, then G. Then walk back down.
- Once that is easy, alternate across two strings without breaking the i/m pattern: i on A, m on D, i on A, m on D.
Speed comes later. The first two weeks are about the pattern never breaking.