There are dozens of ways to play an electric bass, but the most common are picking, plucking, and slapping. Picking, as the name implies, involves using a heavy-gauge plastic pick to play individual notes or even strum chords. Plucking does not involve a pick.Instead, you rest your wrist on top of the instrument’s body, draping your hand over the strings. Then, you use your index, middle, ring, and pink fingers to pluck each note. Finally, slapping involves a completely different technique. Hold your dominant hand in a loose “thumbs up” fist position, and rotate your wrist as if you were opening a door. You strike the strings with the side of your thumb while doing this, creating a percussive, powerful, and funky sound.;