Scratching for beginners

[Cupe]

A couple of people have asked me what is the best way to get started with scratching, so I thought I'd write a little guide aimed at beginners: -

What is hamster and regular style and which should I use?

"Hamster" style means scratching with the crossfader reversed, so when you move the fader to the left, the right turntable comes on and vice versa. Some people find this a more natural way to scratch (me included). The main thing is to choose a style that you prefer and stick to it. Switching between styles at the beginning will only slow up your progress. Don't be influenced by the style other people use, for example, just because QBert scratches hamster it doesn't mean you should.

What records do I scratch with?

Scratching takes years to master. If you wanna become good, you'll be doing LOTS of practice. Every time you perform a scratch on a certain sample, you're wearing it away. It's essential not to practice with your treasured vinyl collection! Get yourself a couple of battle records to practice with and when they wear away, get some more. I'd recommend SuperSeal, because it has some common sounds like ahhhhh and fresh arranged so they're skipless.

What are "skipless" records?

Imagine you stuck a little label on your record at the 12 o'clock mark. When you play the record, the label will go round and pass the same point every so often. Skipless records work by having the same sample at exactly the same point spread over several rotations. This means that if the needle skips forwards or backwards a couple of grooves, it'll land in exactly the same spot on the same sample. When you start out, you might be a little heavy handed and the needle skipping can be very frustrating. Buying battle records that have skipless sections is one way to get around this.

What scratches should I learn first?

Nearly all scratches are based on simple foundation scratches. It's important to start with the very basic scratches first. A lot of DJs will try and learn crabs and 2-clicks before they learn anything else simply cos to them they sound impressive. That's not the best way to learn. If you wanted to learn how to play a guitar, you wouldn't pick one up and try playing a Hendrix solo - you'd start by playing single notes and work from there - scratching is no different. If you want the beat I use for the examples, you can download it by clicking HERE. It's in wav format so you can loop it up using the Focus Looper I posted, or in the program of your choice.

What are the foundation scratches?

Baby - The baby scratch is the first scratch anyone should learn. All you're doing is moving the record back and forth in time with the music. There are various ways to perform it. Here's a little file with some examples: -

.:. BABY SCRATCHES .:.

The file is broken down into 6 parts. Number 1 is the basic baby, the others are just examples of things you can try for a bit of variation: -

1. Regular baby scratch. Just move the record forwards and backwards in a regular motion in time with the beat. This is the one you'll start with. Don't really worry about the other 5 below until you can do this one with precision.

2. Fast pull back. Let the record play at normal speed forwards and pull it back quickly.

3. Double time regular baby. Same as number 1, but done twice as fast.

4. Short baby. A bit like number 1, but you only use the very start of the sound. This has a more "chopped up" feel to it cos there's a slight gap in between each part of the scratch. It's a little like scratch 3, but you miss out every other cut to leave gaps.

5. Half time baby. Let the record play forwards at the regular speed and pull it back slowly. This is like number 1, but it's half the speed.

6. Short fast pull back. This one is a combination of numbers 2 and 4. The sample plays at regular speed forward, but only let a little bit of it play, then pull the record back quickly. Again, there's a pause between each one so it stays on beat.

Forwards - A forward is essentially the same as a baby, except you only hear the forward part of the sample. Open the fader, let the sound play, close the fader, then pull the sound back to the beginning.

Marches - Marches are a combination of babies and forwards. This is the first combo you'll learn. As with all scratches, you're aiming to have solid record control and get a clean and even sound. Here's an example using combinations of forwards and some of the different baby scratches mentioned above: -

.:. MARCHES .:.

Drags - A drag can be performed either forwards or backwards. What you're doing is slowing the record down rather than letting the sample play at it's regular speed. Here's an example: -

.:. DRAGS .:.

I've exaggerated the drag movement in this example, but you can slow the record down as little or as much as you like as long as it fits in with your combo and doesn't knock you off beat.

Tips - A tip is like a really short baby. All you're doing is moving the record back and forth over a short distance to catch just the start of the sound, as in this short example: -

.:. TIPS .:.

Stabs - Stabs are a little like forwards except you're only catching the very start of the sound. You can also change the pitch of the sound by pushing the record forwards at different speeds. They sound like this in their most basic form: -

.:. STABS .:.

Chirps - The record movement of a chirp is the same as a baby. If you've practiced your baby scratches so they're nice and clean then give chirps a try. Start with the fader open, then move the record forwards. As soon as you hear the sound start to play, close the fader, but continue moving the record as if you were doing a baby. As you move the record backwards, just before you get to the start of the sample again, open the fader. What you're doing is using the fader to cut away a large portion of the sample. This gives a crisp, defined sound. Here's an example: -

.:. CHIRPS .:.

Tears - There are many different tear combinations. An easy one to learn first is the 1 forward, 2 back tear. The record motion is a bit like this: -

Play sound forwards - Pull back half way - Pause briefly - Pull back to beginning

The pause is splitting or "tearing" the sound into two. Here's an example: -

.:. TEARS .:.

Other tears include the 2 forward, 1 back and the 2 forward, 2 back which is known as the clover tear. Practice various combinations.

Transforms - A transform is a technique, not a specific scratch. The fader starts closed and ends closed. What you're basically doing is snapping the fader on and off to chop up a sound. Transforms can be done over the top of other scratches including babies and tears to add more definition to the sound. Here's an example of some simple transform patterns: -

.:. TRANSFORMS .:.

Why is it better to learn these scratches first?

An example of a more advanced scratch is the crab orbit. You move the record forwards and backwards while crabbing the crossfader. What you're doing with the record is a baby scratch. If you haven't practiced the basic faderless baby scratch, then you won't have a nice consistent motion so your advanced scratches will sound sloppy. If you practice all the basic techniques above, then when you move on to flares, 2-clicks, orbits etc. you'll have a head start over people who jumped straight in trying to do them, plus your scratching will sound clean and precise. Even if you only get a few of the basics down, you can use these techniques when you're doing a set to add an extra dimension to your mixing. A few simple scratches here and there sound a lot better than sloppy attempts at complex ones.

*****AUDIO SAMPLES CAN BE FOUND HERE. THANKS TO 3STYLE!*****

Written by: Sigma

[Cupe]

Babys:

Zig-Zags:

1-click Flare:

marches:

drags:

chirps:

needle dropping:

long short tips:

lazers:

fades:

dicing:

cutting:

cresent flare:

crabs:

clover tear:

chirp flare:

2-click flare:

[Cupe]

bump

heaps of epic scratch lessons

cheers for the links Gandy

[Skank]

i purchased the actual dvd this is , it has multiple angles and you can battle against different oponents, well worth the cash, you can buy from store dj

[imadje]

i too bought this, but at the time only had ps2 to play dvds on and it wouldn't show alternative angles

Then moved to CDJs anyway so its just basic babies and transforms for me for me.

[Robsta]

I always understood scratching as a way to make cut mixing transitions sound better?

What's the use of a record with just a sample when you have nothing to mix in?

Eg:

Track 1 is playing and I want to mix in track 2 via cut mixing (say both records are hip hop due to the nature of cut mixing when mixing hip hop)

So the end of the chorus on track 1 approaches and I already have the point of the second track I want to mix in from (start of a verse) and do a little scratch of track 2 to add some extra flavour and make the transition sound better. All goes according to plan and after some impressive scratching of the start of the verse of track 2 I let it go and cut across then load a new record to replace track 1 so I will have something new to mix.

If track 2 was just a sample where would I go from there? How would I mix in another track when I only have an "ahh" sound when I cut across?

[Cupe]

start a new thread

[imadje]

^ being Robsta I guess I'm walking face-palm-first into a troll but anyway:

You use the sample in scratching like a musician uses his instrument. It is to add an entirely new sound, flavour or dimension to the music that is entirely your own creation.

eg: You have record one playing. You scratch (AKA "solo like a musician") along with it in musically relevant places with a sample that fits harmonically. Then you remove the scratch sample and put on record two to begin the next mix.

There are so many variations on this basic idea that I dont have enough words to describe them.

[Robsta]

I think I get you

Thanks

[DJElev8]

Q-Bert is the absolute Godfather of scratch. A guru. Was anointed Grandmaster by DST i think around 2005-6.

Best DJ to learn from.. He scratches hamster style but you can apply the principles any way you like.

Also recommend peeping DJ Revolution.