What is proper right hand plucking technique

[Rickter]

I'm still fairly new to bass (guitarist for 18 yrs) and along the way I've been trying to pick up "best practices" and proper techniques so I don't have to go back and break habits then re-learn everything correctly.

My question is this:
In trying to gain better right hand plucking technique I have found some sources that say to pluck "through the strings" from the front of the bass in toward the pickups/face of the bass body. Other sources I've read have said to pluck from the bottom of the string upward. Which of these is considered "proper technique" or is it a no more than a matter of personal preference?

[Calebmundy]

Well whatever works for you and doesn't hurt your hand is fine. In general, I think you will get a rounder more consistent tone if you pluck from bottom to top. Going down towards the bass can produce some weird sounds depending on the force of the stroke (smirk), and if you accidentally hit the pickups etc.

You can cultivate this technique down the road to get some "slappish" sounds out of it ala John Entwhistle, and maybe... Doug Wimbish?

[Hemispheres85]

The most effective position I've seen and tried is when the wrist is slightly angled out so the tips of the index and middle fingers are seemingly equal in length. It allows for a consistent sound when moving between the two fingers and enables a clean, fast attack that can be changed with how hard you want to play.

See Steve Bailey's right hand, he does what I'm talking about.

[Rickter]

Thanks for the suggestions Caleb and Hemispheres.

Part of what made me wonder this was watching lots of video footage of Steve Harris over the years and the way that he plays, and it seems that he uses primarily the "push thru" style of attack, yet he always has good tone.

[Lobster11]

Originally Posted by Rickter

In trying to gain better right hand plucking technique I have found some sources that say to pluck "through the strings" from the front of the bass in toward the pickups/face of the bass body. Other sources I've read have said to pluck from the bottom of the string upward.

Actually, I think most teachers would suggest that the most desirable basic technique is neither of these, but something in between, namely pulling the string laterally toward the next lower string. After releasing the plucked string (say, A), the finger then naturally comes to rest on the next string (E), which offers the benefits of (1) limiting the motion of the finger so it can be quickly readied for the next pluck, and (2) muting the neighboring (E) string to prevent it from ringing and muddying your tone. I would think of this as the "default" technique, and then experiment with the others for tonal variation.