moto Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Long story short, after a few years of scratching, I'm seriously considering starting over with my stronger hand on the record instead. I'm afraid about how long it might take for me to get back up to speed on the new hand configuration, but I do believe that having my dominant hand on the record is the better way to go and a day will come where I'm glad that I made the switch. I've already been at it for a few weeks and I'm definitely making faster progress than I did when I first started scratching, so that is a good sign, although expected. Record control on the stronger hand is also looking promising. Has anyone tried doing this and what was your experience like? Am I just wasting my time ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Symatic Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Definately not wasting your time! I keep giving up really early on. I can do chirps thats about it.Guessing you read d styles article on short e's site huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moto Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Actually I took a look at that article for the first time just now.. But the reasoning behind why I'm trying to switch is exactly as d-styles explains it. There's just so much you can do with intricate record control. If you can pull it off with your weaker hand, then imagine how much better it will be with your stronger hand. It looks like I've injured my left finger last night from aggressive record control practice, so I guess this is a good excuse to focus more on scratching with my right/dominant hand! I'm gonna try to keep it up and see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericuk Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I used to advise people to go strong hand on rekkid, but I'd say that a lot can be achieved if one just focuses on bringing their weak areas up. Unless you have true ambidexterity there will always be a weak hand letting the other hand down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d00ban Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I'm the same as you Moto, weaker hand on record wishing I'd learned the other way. I've just never made the transition as it's too much work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frost Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I started with stronger hand on the record, much more control and a lot more fun. I've never tried switching it around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest broke Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I started with my strong hand on the record, firstly because my early attempts at scratching were on the turntable that sat atop our home stereo. Then back when I first got a set up (1991), I didn't know many scratches that needed a fast or intricate fader hand so it felt natural to continue scratching with my stronger hand.Then I switched to my weaker hand a few years later, I can't remember exactly when... '97 maybe. My left hand was (and still is) so slow on the fader that I eventually found myself using my strong hand in the fader most of the time. I've tried again recently to learn some new cuts with my dominant hand on the record but it's really frustrating. It must take a lot of patience and determination to get anywhere near ambidextrous cuts.I haven't read D's article but I'll check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blak Randy Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Weak hand on the fader. Strong hand on the cock. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosega Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 rather than switching which hand you scratch with, try switching which hand you wank with. your brain will reconfigure within a week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 my biggest regret in scratching, was that I put my stronger hand on the fader. Tried learning how to cut with my weaker on the fader, but can basically do chirps and a bit of stabs, thats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moto Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) I started with my strong hand on the record, firstly because my early attempts at scratching were on the turntable that sat atop our home stereo. Then back when I first got a set up (1991), I didn't know many scratches that needed a fast or intricate fader hand so it felt natural to continue scratching with my stronger hand. Then I switched to my weaker hand a few years later, I can't remember exactly when... '97 maybe. My left hand was (and still is) so slow on the fader that I eventually found myself using my strong hand in the fader most of the time. I've tried again recently to learn some new cuts with my dominant hand on the record but it's really frustrating. It must take a lot of patience and determination to get anywhere near ambidextrous cuts. Thanks for sharing! Interesting how you went from strong to weak hand on the record. Using the weaker hand on the fader definitely feels frustrating, but I'm getting the hang of it surprisingly quickly. Like some you mentioned, chirps and stabs are no problem. I'm beginning to pull off decent 2 clicks/orbits as well, although nowhere near as fast as what I can with my other hand. I think the key to staying positive while learning on the other side is to lower your expectations, forget about what you're capable of pulling off on your usual hand configuration and try to remember back then when you just started scratching for the first time. I remember being proud of some shitty transform pattern so I tried imitating it, and kept going from there. What did I learn after transforms? Tears. After that, 2 clicks and orbits, etc. So far the process has been enjoyable because I can see clear progress in a short amount of time. If all you're thinking about are fast cuts like you're used to, you're probably not gonna have a good time.. Edited July 22, 2014 by moto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moto Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Weak hand on the fader. Strong hand on the cock. rather than switching which hand you scratch with, try switching which hand you wank with. your brain will reconfigure within a week! Lol. I figured these would be coming.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericuk Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Speed does come to the weak hand in my experience. I'll have to try the wanking trick if I want to up my game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest It'sPhilFromThursdays Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 The wanking trick would mean you'd have more control when you're fisting yourself with your strong hand, natch. Yeah, all the stuff does come on your other side if you practice enough, then you can be all smug about cutting on both sides like me and Eric. I started off strong, left, hand on the record, and think it made it easier to transition to cutting on the right with a strong fader hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I've never really felt like I've ever had a problem with dexterity on my fader (weak) hand, it pretty much does what my head tells it to do. Trying to scratch round the other way to normal makes me feel like my guts are going to fall out of my arse though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dopez Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreign711 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 (edited) Started with the weaker hand on the record and never looking back. My first mixer was a Gemini PMX-16 and was impossible to cut on with my weak hand. Wish i can cut with both hands equally, but I'm getting older and just want to master what I know best. Why waste time when you can already make music, ya know? I'll add that if I'd ever get a C1 though, I'd learn, Edited July 25, 2014 by jreign711 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moto Posted July 26, 2014 Author Share Posted July 26, 2014 Thanks for the video Dopez! I agree with you on the pinching & wrist flick technique for the 2 click flares. They feel very awkward on the weaker hand for me as well, but I think it will get more comfortable with practice. Started with the weaker hand on the record and never looking back. My first mixer was a Gemini PMX-16 and was impossible to cut on with my weak hand. Wish i can cut with both hands equally, but I'm getting older and just want to master what I know best. Why waste time when you can already make music, ya know? Yup, totally understand. Although my reason for practicing the other hand isn't for the sake of achieving ambidexterity, but to hopefully become better at scratching by gaining better record control which comes naturally with cutting on the stronger hand. But I'm well aware that this experiment could end up not helping me at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Symatic Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 werd, C1 looks way more suited to right hand scratching.... i started out not having a preference because both hands were equally shit, but i gradually became more used to scratching on the right side because my decks were set up in the normal (not battle) position. but my mixer was a crappy gemini with transform switches instead of a decent fader.... so i started cutting on the other side and thats when i started actually getting it so by the time i got a proper mixer i was already set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.