Practiced daily, sometimes multiple times a day : average 30 min/day
a. more hand and finger strength, better dexterity overall, less cramping
b. less hand movement, better muting, less flying fingers
c. more accurate plucking/string crossing, using different techniques, even with a pick
with the morning routine i just practiced in the morning and skipped the rest of the day. personally i prefer practicing when able, which i end up practicing more often, with more sessions spread out throughout my day.
i substituted these exercises for my usual practice routine, which included playing more music. this past month felt a bit of a boot camp for my hand/fingers vs a mental task of learning songs/music. i think this made the learning tougher but focused. so overall my technique really improved!
Tagging more folks who posted above to see if you have anything to report - after doing these exercises for however long you did them, do you feel your playing/technique improved overall? How specifically?
And did having a “morning routine” help you practice more frequently than usual?
I had fully intended to make it a routine, but ADHD’d out after only a few days because … ADHD.
I do think there’s great technique stuff in there and I had been really focusing in on the fretting-hand muting of the open strings, which was not natural for me at first.
I failed myself in this. A tiny part of that was going too hard on lesson 1 and making my wrist hurt a bit after that (which is the first time in 6+ years this has happened). I had a very hard time with lesson 2. Lesson 3 was tough but good, but I was not consistent enough overall to notice any difference.
I have actually been practicing my morning routine in the evenings (and in the weekends I do it after lunch).
In the beginning, the exercise 1 was difficult, but it became easier very quickly. And now it is something I like to do almost every time I pick up my bass, because it is a nice warm up and it is fun.
The exercise 2 has been always hard, but I confess I haven’t practiced it as well as exercises 1 and 3, because my fretting hand gets tired, I can’t play it at the normal tempo, and I give up easily with this particular exercise. I know it is something I should work on, but until now it is the only exercise I can’t play with the backing track. My fretting hand is slow and clumsy with this exercise.
Exercise 3 was difficult in the beginning, because it is easier for me to mute with my plucking hand. But I have been practicing it diligently and it has improved. For some reason, it seems easier to play it with my eyes closed (it helped to learn to mute the open strings this way). Maybe with the eyes closed all my attention is on coordinating the plucking with the muting.
I practiced for 20-something consecutive days, but had some busy days in the end of November when I didn’t have time. But I decided to continue this practise and I’m still doing it.
Having a morning (or evening) routine does certainly help to practice more frequently, but I normally practice everyday anyway. I didn’t manage to do the routine in the mornings because I’m often in a hurry in the morning and I would get late. But I’ll try moving this routine to the morning during the Christmas holidays.
My technique has improved, especially muting with the left hand. The exercise 1 also helped me to lock in with the drums. The backing track is very useful for that exercise. It is fun to do the advanced version as well.
These are all good exercises. I will keep practicing them. I really have to practice exercise 2 more, because I didn’t improve with it, which is entirely my fault.