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View Full Version : Stuck doing the same scratches?



DJArmani
06-11-2013, 06:28 PM
I've been scratching about a year - year & a half now and my main problem is staying on the same scratches. I do a mix of transformers, baby scratches, & stabs. Tears seem uncomfortable for me and when I try to combine other scratches into my techniques it sounds really sloppy. Any suggestions?

funkyfresh
06-11-2013, 08:16 PM
Slow down the tempo of your instrumentals so that you can work on single time, double time and triple time scratches. You must master them slow before you can do them fast.

Sigma
06-11-2013, 08:44 PM
I think pretty much all scratch DJs go through stages of feeling like this. Generally speaking, I think it's something that works itself out over time the more you practice.

I think the 2 key things are: -

1. Try and expand your repertoire of scratches/combos. Don't just stay in your comfort zone. It can be easy to get into a pattern of performing the same few techniques in the same way just because you feel comfortable with it and compared to the stuff you can't do as well, it sounds pretty clean, but you have to focus on the stuff you can't do well.

2. Realise that there are various ways to perform each technique, so even with a fairly basic scratch like chirps, you can switch between half-time, single, double-time, insert pauses, mess with pitch/tempo and what have you. For example, just cos you can do "frikka frikka frikka fresh" (lol, you know what I mean) basic single-time chirps cleanly doesn't mean that you've "got chirps down now".

DjDisArm
06-11-2013, 11:01 PM
^ what sigma said. i went through that phase it was until like 2 years or so of practicing is where i started to develop some patterns and get in a groove and combos should flow naturally. try spending an hour or two on a different scratch and combining them or work on stuff that you aren't good at.. try to work out the transformer scratch and stabs those helped me move to other styles