Originally published June 6, 2013, lightly edited for clarity.
When working on an exercise it’s important, of course, to get the mechanics worked out, i.e. fingering, timing, etc. However, I feel it is also important not to spend too much time exercising and get into applying the exercise musically. I think it is always good to balance academics with the practicing of playing music and putting the exercise to work in a musical context. At some point you need to trust the fact that you know your alphabet and start talking. Practice method is one of the fundamentals I teach. If you want help balancing exercise work with musical application, online bass lessons via Zoom are available.
