there are dj's that don't even mix that get by...

true story

ive been a club dj for years.. i dont scratch.

its all about your music selection and the presentation (whether you scratch or not)

Scratching is a DJ skill and like in any profession, the more skill you have
the better you become. No DJ got better at it from reading and/or watching videos. It's all about practice. There are no shortcuts.

Can you get by without it? Sure. If you're an EDM, you may not ever even need it BUT you don't want to be like anyone else. Great scratching could and will set you apart. It will elevate your overall presence.

most of the club djs around here cant scratch for shit..fade one tune out one tune in mixes...whats a "EDM"?

Well i guess with the attitude and approach i have towards scratching ill never learn, im just gonna practice it as much as i can, i never thought i would ever be able to know or do what i can now. Although its not much still have ions of practicing to do, i think that practicing ill get over my fear of it. Now one question what do i do or where do i begin to learn to learn the basics of scratching. Again thanks for the help guys.

eletronic dance music

easy to learn how to scratch, get the qbert dvd vol 1, a bag of weed, some booze, and scratch all day, repeat till your a pro or an alcoholic

Ill most def look into that, although no weed, but the booze will do. Lets see how things turn out.

Scratching is not necessary but it commands instant respect and adds to your credibility.

Just like a rapper that can freestyle for days, or a singer that can sing acapella. It's not required to freestyle or sing acapella to be a successful artist but it adds to your credibility.

At the start of my gigs I like to scratch just to loosen up my hands and I always get props by the few people who are there at 10pm.

Go to youtube and search DJ Angelo tutorial. He really breaks down and dissects scratches to make it easier to learn.

Also the thing about scratching is that you have to practice! No DJ just picks up how to flare and chirp through years of mixing in the club.

the best freestylers ive seen in the game are all still unsigned or had flop albums lol....from what ive seen freestylers typically make crappy written\produced work

My scratching skills are very basic but I'm practicing everyday ( and getting better ) IMO unless you plan on mixing just EDM, then you NEED to learn how scratch more than ever.

Here's why:

With the coming of DVS, Ipods, and other Djing software ( VDJ, Ableton Live, etc...), more and more people who would never think of DJing are getting into it.

I read in article recently about models and children of famous people getting $1000 gigs off their name only. Some of them even need a "real" DJ there just in case something goes wrong with Serato or whatever program they're using.

Not to mention the coming of "Celebrity DJ's" who are either real musicians ( Good Charlotte, Black Eyed Peas) or just famous for being famous ( Perez Hilton tweets about his DJ practice sessions ). All who are taking gigs form "real" DJ's.

So unless you get on a reality show ( the Pauly D way, and even his mixing skills need work ) or become famous some other way the only way DJ's can set themselves apart form these DJ wannabes is to have skills on the tables.




Couldn't agree more. People won't just think they can do what you do because they see a laptop. They think mixing is just playing two songs together, like 'I could do that' ( little do they know ).

But no one sees a DJ cutting it up and think they could jump on and duplicate it. Scratching will set you apart from the pack because trust me, Perez Hilton ain't spending hours learning how to crab or flare.

lol youve obviously never turned your back to a drunk chick in your both before

^^^^^^^^ LOL!!! Yes I have!! Almost killed a chick once. Or, they come up and do the hand motion with the "weeky, weeky" sound and a 'Can I please?!' look on they're face.....


Always no....... LOL

Now i am most definitely, gonna work on scratching, i guess i was just scared to approach it cause i didnt understand it and didnt know how i would go about learning or start practicing. But ever since i got into djing scratching has always seemed to me the most interesting aspect of djing. But i need to get my techs and a scratch friendly mixer first.

lol, i was at levela in Panama city beach last weekend and i was listenin to the dudes set in the main room and im bein the normal dj in the crowd annalizing everything dudes doin and seein how well its workin and all the sudden theres this crazy off beat ill times garbage scratch, and im like dude hasnt scratched all night and that was HORRIBLE (not hatin i was feelin the set till that point) and i looked towards the booth to the the dj running up to grab the drunk chicks arm before she did it again LOL, best part was the crowd went nuts over it (they loved it)

im my honest opinion if you enjoy DJin then practice all aspects of it, it wont hurt you to learn to scratch and you may get good. Its a powerful weapon to add to your arsonal. Dont scratch in public until your ready, but know that most crowds in general dont dig heave scratch routinges, master your baby scratch and learn a flare or too and youll be set to perform in most crowds. My crowds still have no clue that my baby scratch isnt the most advanced scratch in the game

I believe this is a genetic deficiency in stupid people.

Not on this board.

Theres lots of very successful djs that dont scratch but still rock a party, most people in the club dont even care especially girls. I remember when scratching was strictly a Hiphop thing.

people appreciate a dj that can mix,pick the right songs at the right times and scratch ( to add to the over all mix )

trust me when i say this - if your good at scratching and do it at the right times it makes a difference.anyone can learn how to mix but not everyone can scratch and mix and read a crowd and do it all together when in a zone djing.every part of the dj is very important.

music selection - music taste,mixing,reading the crowd,mic work and scratching is all a part of becoming a great all around dj.

scratching is a art all by itself.just like mixing music together but doing it all together is similar to a artist painting a picture of what he thanks it should be.and this is what separates djs from one another.a true dj is a artist.

you dont have to scratch to be a good dj but to be a great dj in my book you have too.i would work on all the basics then move on to more advanced skills later.

one of the biggest mistakes i see alot are djs learning scratches before they learn how to use rhythm.rhythm scratching is scratching with soul.scratch with purpose to add to a mix.make it sound like it was produced in the song that way.


ok im done :)

If you're still looking for more scratch tutorials (basic stuff)...please take a look at these series of videos by this guy, DJ Angelo:

www.youtube.com

They've helped me a lot...I'm still learning, but his explanations made it much easier to understand the basics....but now it's my turn to put in as much practice time as possible to master the scratching techniques.

Saludos.

Ditto.
I'm a rookie to scratching even DJing and DJ Angelo's videos have really helped me. But it's all about putting in the work. Practice practice practice.

Especially today its harder to separate yourself from the newbies and wannabe's. Scratching will definitely set you apart from the rest of the pack.

Scratching is alot like dunking for a Bball player. Dunking by itself doesn't win games but dunks make the crowd hype and the game more exciting. If a guy can dunk at your local gym its a pretty big deal and everybody knows that plays in that gym.

scratching is a art.and should be used like a instrument.scratch to spice a track up or a mix.

way to many djs scratch with the volume up to loud so its over powering everything else.its suppose to be embedded in the music so its all together.if you scratch and its done correct everyone wouldnt even know you did it.because it should sound like it was suppose to be there.

scratching with rhythm is the key to a great scratch dj.for example dj ztrip he is not a great technical scratch dj but he sounds perfect just about everytime.thats because he scratches with meaning and soul.

way to many djs dont understand this (( not all )) but alot!!!

+1 dj shadow!

scratching is something that can definitely separate you from other wannabe dj's


do yourself a favor, get the q bert how to video and learn!

I agree with some of this and not so much with others. Here's my take on the scratching deal: If you're into the scratching as a form of "battling" or showmanship, then yes I feel you need to be as good as you can at it, but in the majority of cases, unless you have an audience or crowd staring right down at you while you're spinning, MOST peoplle dont know and dont care what it took for the end results of your scratch effect. All they hear is the final outcome and usually wont be able to detect it from what may be in the song already. They just want to hear good music for the most part. I mean, how many times has a club jock been approached by someone out of the blue after a nigth of scratching your azz off and they say" Hey dude..I like the way you "SCRATCHED" tonite. For the most part they're more than likely to say that they "Enjoyed the way you "PLAYED". Get my drift?

ive had this happen several times...thank god for funkymixes right

hahahah..leave it to my buoy Bezzle.. He never lets me down for a good smurk on my face! LOL!

only people that worry about your scratching is other dj's. not the crowd. I use to be all into battling and turntableist, till I hit the club scene. then it went totally away. to this day i do very light scratch's in the club. they dont care what scratch's you do. and if you get carried away you will get the WTF are you doing look. I remember my first club gig. I was djing at a club in fullerton Ca and it was like 500+ at this venue. well I started doing all kinds of beat juggling's, transforming etc. and the crowd was like wtf they were staring at me, but i though they were liking it. till the promoter told me to stop.

i hate to disagree with you when saying people dont notice you if you can scratch or not.i have been approached on many occasions about my scratching ( im not arrogant or thank im all that ) but i have women and men both say hey i appreciate what you do.i tell them thanks.i do it for my self and i hope people like what i do.but regardless im gonna do what i do at the end of the day.

its hard for me to dj without scratching.a club dj should be a turntablist.that doesnt mean break out into dmc style. lol that means do it tastefully.for example if you know a break of a song is coming up and you just let loose and scratch into it not over it or on top of it but into it.......if you feel this doesnt matter then i guess we look at things different as a dj and i respect that regardless but from where i grew up and how i learned it has become me to be this way.i do what i do for me and i read a crowd and take request from the ladies if i have to. ( making the ladies happy is the number one thing ).

if you go about scratching the right way majority of people wont know but the true heads will and who knows maybe they will like what you do and come to your gigs to see you do what you do.( not saying they dont ).its not about the music you play its how you play it and when and the energy you do it with along with bringing other elements with it like scratching and little tricks to add to your set.

to me one of the ultimate all around djs is dj mixx master mike.he will mix and play to the crowd and then break out and go nuts.this is a true performer.a dj should be a performer not a ipod....... anyone can mix music.

dj shadow dropping knowledge jewels
totally agree

the only thing i can scratch is my nutsacks now these days just no time for practice, ive been in the game for 25+ yrs and i have never ever learned the right way..when i scratch it sound like an old 80s movie scratching techniques..that how far i got..all i know is if you got the ability and reflexes you can learn quik, i just plain suck..my reflexes are slow..like teaching a person with two lefts legs to learn salsa. i recently got back into it and ive got back into practicing my scratch skills and it doesnt go no where..why who knows. im going to try some tutorials like you guys suggested..if anyone else has some mo advice for this old man..let me know ;)

lol. i been djing just over 20 yrs i am a decent scratch dj as far as the technical aspect of it but my strength is scratching with rhythm.i feel its not really how many scratches you know its how effective you are with the ones you know.i know tons of djs that can scratch better then me.but lack rhythm................for example
Watchwww.youtube.com
this is scratching with rhythm.

this is the best dj in the world ( in my opinion ) well most of the world.
Watchwww.youtube.com
he is a musician/dj meaning he djs like a musician.remixing on the fly and creating things that have never been done or if they have he did it before regardless this is what a real dj does...... a normal everyday dj mixes music.this is what put him at being the best all around dj in the world.........a true dj creates and can do it in many ways.

you can get by without scratching but your just normal at the end of the day.and could be below normal depending on how good you can mix,read a crowd and roc the mic :)

Try to train you hands to act independently of each other, for instance try to baby scratch one rhythm on the left turntable and a different rhythm on the right at the same time. I believe someone also mentioned in another thread to baby scratch and slowly raise and lower the up fader while doing it. Also, you may have to "unlearn" what you learned. The old school (80's) way of thinking is that each "sound" represents a movement of the fader, but with scratches like the flare, a change in direction of the record can represent a "sound". So you have to throw out the urge to move the fader at the moment you are using the change in directiont o create a "sound" in some scratches. Basically, unlearn what you learned.

this is what scares me, ill start to practice and think that dosent sound right i better stop before i train myself incorrectly

I think his situation is a little different, basically he learned/started to scratch in the 80's, my guess is that you started in the 90's.

In the early 80's, most DJ's mainly did their cutting using the fader very little, in otherwords they would do a baby scratch pattern and use the fader mainly to start and stop that pattern (think DJ Red Alert).

Around the mid 80's it was more cutting (incorporating the fader more). Each movement of the fader represented a sound made with a corresponding hand movement (like cutting). Then came the transformer scratch. When you transform, each time you move the fader you get a sound. With the newer scratches such as the flare, there is an illusion of fader movement (you click fader once get two sounds).

If you started DJing in the 80's, and did not keep up/practice the new scratches. It is probably more difficult since you have that philosophy where a movement of the fader equals a sound and your muscle memory and brain are trained that way. Hence, someone who just starting to learn may end up picking up the newer scratches quicker. The one thing I do notice is most of the older DJ's tend to have better rhythm (think Jazzy Jeff).

good post unknown.

alot of newer djs can do the more technical scratches.but cant do the old school style scratching -- like in sir mix a lot baby got back. lol!
to me all scratches sound nice when done with rhythm.i would say that dj dstyles and dj qbert are the two best scratch djs in the world.d styles is sick.

look at this.
Watchwww.youtube.com

it's like rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time...

this is a very funny thread.
i just got serato coz other software cannot handle scratching and got serato strictly to learn scratching. i didnt think i'd see a thread like this here. if u got serato before trying other "scratch" software then u wouldnt really really appreciate serato..

scratching is not everything but its good to know how. i can do some scratching which would please 95% of a crowd but would definately NOT impress a scratch dj. imo a dj should be able to scratch (most scratches) and beat juggle. then u can call yourself a dj. then u can play with an ipod and karaoke with virtualdj and still get respect...


funniest part in this thread is someone saying he cant and doesnt want to learn and someone else still trying to tell him how to do it. pure comedy lol...
im not a young kid anymore but still struggling to learn this sh1t... :@ im slowly getting there...

Scratching is one of the many things that set's me apart from other DJ's in my area. Most if not all my buddies know me as the guy that can cut. It's a good feeling to know you can hang with just about anyone and I'm always trying to learn new combos and stuff.

When I first started out 10 years I didnt' know shit. I would watch the DMC & Beat Junkies VHS and wonder how in the hell I'll ever learn any of that. And none of it happened quick. You gotta start from the bottom and try not to get discouraged when you can't get something down. Learn the basics first, they'r the basics for a reason.

Chirps, Stabs, transforms. Some of my favorite scratchers (jazzy jeff) aren't even that technical, they're more funky than anything. If you can learn just those three basic scratches I mentioned and make em' funky then you already have most people beat.

The youtube vidz are great but for me personally I learn better when it's right there in front of me so try to find some DJ's in your area that can cut and ask them if they would let you watch.

Good luck.

My question is...how long have you been DJing? You aren't gonna learn to scratch over night...expect it to take years.

Ask any 20something what is the first thing you think about when you mention turntables/records? I bet 95% would say scratching

I dont know why you wouldn't scratch if you have turntables. If you dont care to scratch get an Itch controller or CD decks and save yourself from being asked to flex your turntable skills.

People in the club dont really care for scratching but they also dont care to remember the DJs name. But get infront of someone to does care and they walk in your house, see your DJ setup, and they ask you to do something. Are you going to just mix for 30 mins?

Whats is a dj if he cant scratch.

until I see him scratching I always think he's just another wavie =\ although there are good dj's out there that don't scratch, anyways you get my point.

true story.

enjoyed the knowledge shadow! +1

scratching is like talking, learn how to say the small words then the bigger words and then connect them to make sentences.. -qbert

Great posts Shadow. I think with all of the technical scratching of today some of the rhythm and soul has been lost from scratching. Back in the late 80's and 90's you had very rhythmic scratching in the Miami Bass scene and the LA technohop scene. Then everything became 8 billion fader click scratches and it became pretty robotic sounding (how many more times do I have to here 5 minutes of double time crabs over 60 bpm beat). One thing scratching can do for you is help you learn timing, where the proper places to place scratches and generally helps you learn the music you will be playing.

give this man a beer.