Playing fast isn’t difficult. Stopping when you’re supposed to is. Imagine a bunch of toddlers running down a hill, laughing with reckless abandon, going faster and faster until their little legs can’t keep up anymore and they tumble in a heap. The joy of feeling speed is followed by a colossal wipeout. Playing bass with speed is sort of like that. Striking a lot of notes in quick succession isn’t all that hard — but knowing when to end that run and having your fingers solidly locked in with the rhythm takes far more skill. Otherwise you’re just playing a bunch of notes very quickly. Well, have I got an exercise for you! It combines finger coordination, rhythm, and speed, all in one series of études. You’ll be the bass world’s Speedy Gonzales in no time. The trick is to aim for the end of the phrase, and to have all possible fingering combinations down cold so you don’t get tripped up when you play it. These exercises require using a metronome. It’ll keep your