Personal Style and Technique

I have noticed that people make essentially the same comment or observation after seeing me play.  It usually goes something along the lines of "You have a very unique style/way of playing bass" or "how did you learn to play bass like that?"  I am hoping these comments are positive observations and not veiled "you are doing it wrong" statements.

I never was comfortable using a plectrum and finger style just came naturally to me.  I have never taken formal lessons on bass so my technique developed as a result of my interpretation of the styles of a wide range of musicians I admired.  One interesting thing I have found over the years is that four people can observe the same musician and try to recreate the style of that musician and end up producing four different styles.  That's the beauty of creativity.  The galloping of Steve Harris and the typewriter fingers of John Entwistle are perhaps most evident in my technique but nearly every artist out there including drummers, singers, guitarists, pianists, and everything I hear have influenced my playing.  

I think perhaps the most influential of my experiences was as a child opening the lid to our piano at home and watching the hammers strike the strings.  The mental image of the operation inside the piano has stayed with me ever since.  This is where I think the "unique style/way of playing bass" comments are coming from. Overall my style is a combination of tapping, plucking, crude slapping and popping, and finger style.  It probably has no chance of entering into the realm of "proper" technique but it works for me and feels natural.  In the end I think that is what is special about bassists who do not use plectrums.  The individual anatomy of our hands coupled with our interpretation of what we are playing gives each of us a unique and special style.