In life, technique could be seen as a means to an end. There has to be an application reason for a technique to work.
What we have is the idea first, the realization of what is required, followed by at some stage the technique to give the required result we seek or want. There are many variables to consider to arrive at any technique, and that journey if not shared by others will arrive at a different technique to achieve the same result for them.
As far as playing music is concerned that is an idea that grows and is expressed on an instrument, no playing technique required, but certainly a mental technique to develop ideas is needed, again technique but a different application to the physical one but both want to achieve the same thing, the music involved to be good.
As far a playing goes technique is defined by the instruments and the physical characteristics of the person playing it...ideally. But for many the place they grow up in and the players around them may see them be introduced to certain techniques and ideas first. As in up-right bass, German or French bowing? On Electric bass Pick or fingers, etc.
I have said before if we look back to the orchestra days of early up-right basses, why the design?
Well back then size defined tone, bigger or longer gave lower tones than smaller and shorter. A violin is a small bass in construction. In that construction of a bass because of the tone required it had to be big. Because the construction techniques were wood based joints had to be big to take the tension of strings, tuners had to be big neck had to be thick as truss rods were not an option. Instruments were built for a function not for the player, so techniques to use them were developed. Again this was for the sound not the player, the instruments were not player friendly but for sound.
Instrument makers like Stradivarius built beautiful instruments of such symmetry that the idea of an asymmetrical instrument was not desirable, though the ergonomics would have been better for the player, again we see this is not a consideration.
So we have a large instrument, with large joints or heel to the neck and body, thick strings, large tuners etc. and we need to play this instrument. So techniques were born and developed to achieve the results.
Fast forward to the modern day and we have basses from Fender to Status, from wood to carbon fibre, from magnetic to light sensor pickups. Space age materials that allow better construction, better sound, better balance better design, better everything if you want.
But the idea for music has to come first because if you take away the technique of bass and apply what's left to another instrument, if it is good music it will still sound good, if its technique lead it will be left wanting.
Combine great music and great technique and you have the greats of our instrument and for them and them alone i think they are at a level where it does not really matter for them which comes first, they have learned what is important and that is good music.
