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DJArmani
08-01-2012, 05:19 PM
I entered a djf scratch battle on here which I lost. But it was a great battle for me because I was able to get feedback and how my scratching was. My problem is getting my scratching to sound smooth and to go with the music. Right now, it sounds kind of forced at certain points and choppy. My transforms are at random times and my combinations don't go well. How can I get my scratching to flow? I feel like I'm not getting anywhere with it right now. I've been scratching for about 5 months and I think I should sound a little better than I do. Should go back to faderless work? I'm pretty good on it but when it comes to the crossfader I start to get sloppy and eventually sound like shit. I'm pretty much on the basics doing baby, tears, stabs, and transformers I just can't get it to flow together. :mad:

I'm file 1 in this battle. Take a listen.
http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?11328-Rookie-Scratch-Battle-DJ-Armani-vs-DJ-Riddims

DJ Matt
08-01-2012, 07:22 PM
hi DJ armani
i consider myself a bit of a rookie aswell, but ill give my feelings as a listener.
on listening to your mix one thing i noticed was very seldom you are just allowing the sound to play out. "drop" i think its called
after hearing a cut part of a sound a few times, that builds up a sense of tension, the full sound then becomes a release to that tension.

music is based on creating a sense of tension and answering i with a release

so therefore i think it would sound more 'musical' if you were to do the occasional "drop" after a phrase of cuts.


the other thing i noticed was that you didnt seem to be "getting into the groove" of the song much. im not sure how to tell you do do that, other than just feel the music more and try to 'wrap your scratch patterns around the groove' as though you were a rapper, improvising his lyrics to the song. instead of just layering them on top of it.

hope that is of some help

matt

Kyle Herring
08-01-2012, 08:03 PM
I've never scratched in my life, but I can say that the key to technique is to practice slowly, advance only once you've mastered at a certain level, and practice in every possible combination.

TheRabbitMonk
08-02-2012, 07:27 AM
a good way to practice, listen to the track full in your headphones. it helps alot because you can hear exactly what your doing.
i do this late at night due to ppl in bed, now when i'm going to scratch both cups go over my ears in helps.

but in the main it is practice, you'll find after a month you would improved a little. a lot ppl say a break makes you better which i agree on.

its hard scratching, it is a case of time. but juggling will help your scratching. so if get frustrated with you scratching juggle instead. its much less frustrating and actually more fun because your using both hands.

dj armani, whats the name of the track from the battle?

p.s scratch slow tunes about 70 to 90 bpm. then when your better or have a flow speed it up.

Sigma
08-02-2012, 09:44 AM
Technique is a big part of it - practicing each individual technique until you have each one down pretty well.

But another big part of it is style/flow/phrasing - This is something that is both innate and something that you get better at over time and it applies to any instrument really. It's about knowing when to insert gaps/pauses, how to use subtle variations in pitch, being able to use variations in speed/tempo, and being able to use both old and new styles in a funky way. D-Styles is pretty much the king of this.

In fact, I would argue that phrasing/flow are more important than technique, because you can use a few simple scratches very effectively this way, and many would say that this sounds better than the DJ who is hammering away with complicated techniques, but has no flow. An example with other instruments would be a drummer like Clyde Stubblefield who did the drumming on a lot of James Brown tracks. He wasn't doing crazy technical drum patterns, but he was drumming in a way that sounds super funky. Of course, you should aim to develop your scratching in both of these areas and more control over the record/fader helps you in developing your phrasing/flow as you're able to express yourself how you want, rather than being limited by technique. They're both connected.

Listening to other DJs scratch can help inspire you and get you knowing the difference between good and bad. Also, if you have someone local that you can cut with, that also helps a lot too.

I think one of the issues with being a new scratch DJ today is that the gap between new and experienced is massive. When I started, basic transform patterns were as complicated as it got, so after a year or two of practice I was able to do all of the scratches that the DJs I looked up to were doing, but today people are doing so many crazy cuts and patterns and often at such fast speeds, that it can be overwhelming when you're new and you're listening to that thinking "how the fuck are they doing that?". You can end up trying to emulate those more crazy cuts while neglecting the basics and it just doesn't work.

DJArmani
08-02-2012, 10:04 AM
a good way to practice, listen to the track full in your headphones. it helps alot because you can hear exactly what your doing.
i do this late at night due to ppl in bed, now when i'm going to scratch both cups go over my ears in helps.

but in the main it is practice, you'll find after a month you would improved a little. a lot ppl say a break makes you better which i agree on.

its hard scratching, it is a case of time. but juggling will help your scratching. so if get frustrated with you scratching juggle instead. its much less frustrating and actually more fun because your using both hands.

dj armani, whats the name of the track from the battle?

p.s scratch slow tunes about 70 to 90 bpm. then when your better or have a flow speed it up.

The track is Shook Ones - Mobb Deep. And I started to scratch over a break so its way easier to scratch over a break for some reason. And juggling definetly helps me when i get frusterated. I usually juggle niggas in paris at different parts. +rep for you but I have to spread the rep before repping sigma again.

& @Sigma YEAH ! I have the exact issue watching DJs scratch these days such as Yonny one of my idols he's local but he travels the world. This is him on Master Of The Mix Season 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5avFhFzMxMc. I was lucky to see him live at a local festival he's sick ! And I think the funk goes with listening to the track like RabbitMonk said so I'm going to start doing that.

TheRabbitMonk
08-02-2012, 01:17 PM
Shook Ones - Mobb Deep. cheers for that, i think i've found my new practice scarth tune..

djwes
08-06-2012, 02:32 PM
As usual, everything Sigma is saying is right on.

The main thing is lots of patience. Even though it may feel like a long time, 5 months is a pretty short period of time. Imagine only playing the trumpet or piano for 5 months and how you'd sound! :) It took me a very long time to have things sound natural and flow well - and I still have a ways to go. Practice, practice, practice to music that you love!

DjDisArm
08-07-2012, 01:40 PM
just dont try and go 100 mph learn the basics and flow with the beat... oh yeah d styles is raw with the flow

http://youtu.be/ECXIyhA11hg about the 52 minute mark.. KILLS IT