You didn't miss out on much. My cello teacher mentioned it to me early on, in passing, but it's basically useless trivia until you actually have enough control

You didn't miss out on much. My cello teacher mentioned it to me early on, in passing, but it's basically useless trivia until you actually have enough control for it to make a difference. From observing my kids go through music study, I'd say it emerges as something to actually think about at the college level. Instead, I switched to the double bass, joined the jazz band, and majored in physics. ;-) I think "sweetening without realizing" may be a thing. You've assimilated the sound of classical (or whatever) music through listening. You can hear how you want the note sound in your head, and your finger goes there.