I am working level 4 at the moment.
when descending from the G to the Gb do you lift your pinky and place it on the D string or does it just kinda hover over the D string?
I know @JoshFossgreen says hover but should we be working towards actually moving our finger to the next position on the next string?
Does any of that make sense?
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I think I understand what you mean. Hovering is what you want till you need it.
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Hover over. If you press down early, you’ll make extra clanky noises. (and possible get a slight hammer-on sound)
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Hello Everyone,
I recently begun the program and I can already tell that it will exceed my expectations, thank you @JoshFossgreen.
I am going to incorporate these finger exercises when I reach M3. What ‘ratio’ would be recommended? For example one hour of lessons / one hour of exercises, or two hours / one hour, etc,.? The goal is to build exercise proficiency concurrently with Module progression.
I also could be overthinking this, so any feedback would be appreciated. That is very likely. Thank you all.
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I think you are overthinking this.
I’d also warn against filling up the training space with too “robotic” exercises. Not because I don’t think that it doesn’t help with technique, but because I think it’s boring.
To clarify: I am all for doing them. Just remember that you play bass to have fun, make music and enjoy that.
That being said it’s something I personally would fit in a warm-up routine you do before you start with playing songs/lessons.
For the time needed I think you have to find your own pace. I also think with these kinds of exercises repitition with breaks instead of one long training session is most effective.
The way I would go about it is implementing a warm-up before the real lesson in which I go through the exercises until I’m personally satisfied. An error I would most likely make sooner or later: I would set my expectations for myself too high for the warm-up so it would become another lesson. I think it should be practice/exercise - so it should be on a level you can achieve without putting a lesson before your actual lesson.
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Welcome to the forum @DeadLossAngeles.
Are you in LA, I am down in Orange County.
And I beleive Josh says do them for 5-10 min a day and in a month you should see noticeable results.
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Hey @DeadLossAngeles, welcome to the forum! Definitely not one hour of exercises. Think like 5 minutes a day, maybe 10 minutes MAX. You’re just training yourself to move more efficiently over time, so it’s the repetition/frequency that matters, not the time spent per session, IMO.
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Hi @RolandDehli, I use that website for rythem excercises as well. I do the excercises you show, and am working on lesson 4, but I do this for rythem and right hand excercises. Do you also use it for fret hand excercises as well?
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Yes 
i started just doing the rythems, and then just one note. Now i do the finger excercise and scales over the rythems, i dont know if it will do you any good, but for me it makes sense and makes both excercises more fun to do 
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I don’t know if I can keep up with the fingering on any of the last 3 speeds. But I suppose I could set that up as a goal.
I suppose we may as well share the website for others to use.
Also note, the site is designed for drummers, but rythem and timing is for all musicians. The excercises can be done by plucking open strings, or any string on any fret, or with finger excercises or scales to get way more advanced.
The point of this, for me really, other then the fact it was assigned homework from my bass instructor, Is timing, and keeping rythem
Much of the first 3 lessons are things covered in B2B, up to lesson 3-C. I beleive which starts getting advanced into 16th notes and 16th note syncopation.
https://vicfirth.zildjian.com/education/norm-weinberg-webrhythms.html
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Thank you both. The way you explain it now makes it clearer. These exercises are like ‘drills,’ where consistency and proper form take priority. Hence the ‘bite sizing’ when a part of the exercise needs more focus.
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Indeed. My handle is also a nod to one of my favorite bass players, the great JJ Burnel from The Stranglers.
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Another learning site for me to bookmark. Thank you.
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Another learning site for me to bookmark, thank you.
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Nice reasoning. Nice to have local representation in the house as well:+1:t2:
I started doing these exercises yesterday, because my balky fingers were slowing my progress with the lessons, or at least that’s what I’ve been telling myself the past week or so. Trying to keep up with the workouts was starting to kill my fingers, not coincidentally around the time that Billie Jean entered my life., but also during some of the subsequent easier workouts.
I’ve mixed in the first couple of exercises before and after each lesson, and as stand-alone minipractices, and I’ve noticed a drastic improvement in such a short time. Even with all the fretting practice, I’ve had no finger pain. And I’m not even close to nailing the exercises. My fingers still be flying, but they’re routes are more along the lines of short commuter hops rather than the transcontinental flights they were taking before the practice.
So, yeah, listen to this @JoshFossgreen guy. He seems to know what he’s talking about.
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Welcome aboard @DeadLossAngeles,
Enjoy the ride.
What was the inspiration for your name?
Cheers Brian
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Thank you Brian. Inspired by JJ Burnel from The Stranglers, one of my favorite bassists. Their first albums through The Raven are bass gold.
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