I lived out in Redlands for a few years, not too close to you but not far either. I moved here to Colorado from there actually. I was in San Diego for a few years before that.
That was 20 years ago now… holy crap.
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I used to play a lot of golf down that way. Riverside, Beaumont, oak valley area. Very very windy but fun.
Those kids definitely did not know how good they had it, although they probably do now. 
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Wow that all looks delicious! Those were some lucky kids while it lasted!
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Right?? now i’m hungry 
LOL!!
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I’m not usually one for gadgets but I recently bought a finger strengthener (D’Addario finger trainer) to help with my flying fingers. I’ve found it has made a great difference strengthening each finger independently. Like you, I found the focus/mindfulness useful while using it: using one finger at a time while not moving the others, only pressing as far as I can without disturbing resting fingers.
Worth the $20.
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There’s one exercise that really helped me a lot with flying fingers, not to mention developing a ton of finger-independence and mind/muscle connection. It will very likely humble you! I’ve been playing bass for a year and played guitar for several before that, but trying this exercise it felt like I’d never picked up an instrument in my life. It was that hard. I would look at my fingers and mentally will them to move, but they were like “yeah no, we’re good right here thanks”.
But after a week or so of doing it 5 minutes a day, not only could I do the exercise much better, but I could clearly see the results in my playing as well. Do it for a month and I think you will see some massive results.
It goes like this. It’s basically a spider walk where you play one-finger-per-fret and work your way from the E string to the G string and then back again. Then just repeat in a cycle. The trick is, all fingers stay in place except the one that’s currently moving to the higher string (or lower string if you’re making your way back down). This is WAY harder than it sounds, at first.
I felt compelled to record an example:
It sounds kinda crap, but consider that when I first tried it, I could barely make my fingers move at all.
Anyway, this one is a challenge, but it works wonders for flying fingers and finger independence. Maybe give it a try?
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Wow, this looks like a great exercise! I’m definitely going to try it, maybe even add it to my regular practice routine. Thanks for making the video, because it really helped me be clear on exactly how to do it.
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I tried it out last night and, it’s going to be something I do every day now. My first run through was not as smooth as @fennario 's video. Tbh, it was kind of a miniature Billie Jean moment. Frustrating but fantastic at the same time. I see huge payoffs for getting this down.
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Yeah, I think I’ll have the same experience. I think it will be very hard for me at first.
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I’ve been working on this a lot playing “Chameleon”.
I’ve been experimenting with just how close I can keep my fingers to the string to play the line. Limiting my finger movement even more than what I’ll want when playing normally. I’m keeping my fingers just barely above the strings, being absolutely 1 finger per fret, and relying on hand shifting to fret the notes properly. Also forcing myself to alternate pluck even when not necessary.
It’s been a fun challenge, that I think I’m getting a lot from.
I’m also getting a lot more comfortable fretting with different parts of my finger and using the absolute minimum pressure as part of this exercise.
This carries over to interesting stuff when the song gets towards the bass solo section in the middle and I start playing around. Discovering I can play those shapes and bounce around by using mostly wrist motion and only very slight finger pressure.
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So many great ideas to help me cure my flying fish fingers! Especially Hound Dog and the Spider Walk. Thank you, fellow Bassbuzzers!
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My flying fingers have improved, but I’m still working on it.
I’ve started working on the finger pressure too. I did the exercise where you start with minimum pressure and keep increasing till you first get a good note out. Turns out I’m usually pressing easy harder than I need to.
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Playing fretless bass has actually been helping my fretting pressure a LOT.
I naturally press the string until it stops moving. On fretless, that’s when it touches the fretboard, and I know there’s nothing to be gained by pressing harder.
Also, trying to do vibrato. And I just can’t do that while fretting hard.
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Thanks, Julian!
Very cool exercise. My ring finger seems not even attached to my body!!! 
.
Even when it moves feels like something else is moving it 
Thanks for sharing