d00ban Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Not learning the basics rushing in to learning as many techniques as possible at onceNot counting barsNot actually reacting to the beat, just doing the same scratches no matter the beatNot pausing, restingThinking they are flaring when actually just transformingNot swinging/pitching scratchesAlways practicing scratching at the same tempoNot scratching with other djs Can you think of any other things you see a lot of beginner DJs do, or maybe did yourself? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Symatic Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Writing everything with yellow highlighter? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Symatic Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 serious answer: not doing things slowly. not listening. wanting to run before you can walk. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBearOne8III Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 not sure if this was a mistake or more of a lesson learned. but using sub par needles and carts. i started off with shure sc35's. The most basic carts you could get. they skipped all the time, and the volume was so low compared to the 447's. but after thinking about it, starting with shitty gear made me a better dj today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeClockwork Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Practicing over DJ Premier-esque instrumentals instead of sparse tracks that allow your cuts to stand out. Lifting your hand way above the record when you let it go. Trying to vary your patterns too much, i.e. thinking that repetition of patterns is a bad thing. Chirping everything instead of incorporating babies and dices. Not learning stabs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHouse Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 The main issue I've witnessed over the years is DJs that can't hold a scratch for multiple bars. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d00ban Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 Nice one lads, all good points for sure! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danswift Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Getting themselves involved in the first place,probably.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest It'sPhilFromThursdays Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Not learning stabs. This is a crime against humanity isn't it? Getting themselves involved in the first place,probably.. LOCK THE THREAD PLS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d00ban Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 Getting themselves involved in the first place,probably.. LOL, tis true tis true. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Burglar Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Copying everyone instead of islolating yourself and coming up with your own stuff. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shimmer Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Watching tutorials all day ! Have fun and don’t get disheartened. And don’t compare yourself to others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 Doing the same pattern for 4 bars.. Leaving no breathing at all in your bars... NOT TURNING DOWN THE LOW EQ OM YOUR CUTS (I still see good scratchers doing this! Cutting over the beginning of the persons bars after you...or starting before the person before you finishes in a session..... CUTTING LOUDER THAN EVERYONE JUST TO STAND OUT... Tapping out on more challenging tempos or avoiding them entirely... Comparing your level to those doing it 10x longer than you...its not a competition...go at your own pace... Never cutting in public...stage experience gives confidence and should also be practiced unless you just wanna stay in your bedroom forever. Not understanding that correct sample placement and pitch control are as important to "sounding fast" as a fast fader hand. Not mastering fundamentals or digging into OG styles...you dont have to live off abstract staccato flows... Not putting sounding GOOD over being technical. Not using your dominant hand as your record hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeClockwork Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 Comparing your level to those doing it 10x longer than you...its not a competition...go at your own pace... I'm now at the stage where I see people who are better at scratching than me who have been doing it ten years less! Has anyone checked out that Kwote Music guy? I find a lot of his advice really helpful, especially about how to practise. Also Chile's heuristic videos. One thing I learned recently is to drill the transition between techniques. If your freestyle sounds sloppy in places, it might be because you haven't mastered how to go from orbits to stabs, for example. In all the years I've been scratching it never occurred to me! I don't think there's any harm in beginners following a few good tutorials to learn the basics. Being self-taught isn't all good; you can cultivate bad habits and not even know they're bad. That said, you can also learn some badass tricks by misinterpreting something you've heard (didn't Toadstyle mistake Babu's orbits for transforming?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest It'sPhilFromThursdays Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 One thing I learned recently is to drill the transition between techniques. If your freestyle sounds sloppy in places, it might be because you haven't mastered how to go from orbits to stabs, for example. In all the years I've been scratching it never occurred to me! This is one of the main things i do and have for a while funnily enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHouse Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 Oh yeah, DJs that don't record their sessions. Years ago I thought I was the bomb...till I started recording my practices. Cuts that I thought were clear were actually pretty muddied and thus weren't coming across like I imagined. Recording myself, however, helped me address those issues, as well as enunciate my skratches. The DJs I respected the most (Q, Dee, Astro) were constantly recording their sessions, so it gave me the incentive to follow in their tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d00ban Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 Ya that's a really good shout J House! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Making the mistake that to transform/crab fast you need to move the record hand fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Symatic Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 NOT TURNING DOWN THE LOW EQ OM YOUR CUTS (I still see good scratchers doing this! there's a skill to being able to cut without removing the bass though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 . Not using your dominant hand as your record hand.Hmm, this is just down to personal preference no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 One thing I learned recently is to drill the transition between techniques. If your freestyle sounds sloppy in places, it might be because you haven't mastered how to go from orbits to stabs, for example. In all the years I've been scratching it never occurred to me! This is one of the main things i do and have for a while funnily enoughWord! One of my fave things to do when I'm stuck in a rut is choose two foundation techniques at random and limit myself to those and work out transitions/patterns I wouldn't usually do so it forces me to break my muscle memory habits 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 NOT TURNING DOWN THE LOW EQ OM YOUR CUTS (I still see good scratchers doing this! there's a skill to being able to cut without removing the bass though.I guess I'm more referring to mixing your samples so they sonically sound 'good'...as well as removing some hand thumps etc. Having a light touch helps loads too but of course for noobs a EQ cut is a quick solve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 .Not using your dominant hand as your record hand.Hmm, this is just down to personal preference no?Well comfort is personal and sure do as you like but given all the expressiveness in scratching comes from the record hand...I always recommend new students I teach to start with their writing/dominant hand. Fader speed isn't as important as elocution is when starting out IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 .Not using your dominant hand as your record hand.Hmm, this is just down to personal preference no?Well comfort is personal and sure do as you like but given all the expressiveness in scratching comes from the record hand...I always recommend new students I teach to start with their writing/dominant hand. Fader speed isn't as important as elocution is when starting out IMO. Ahh ok - I think I read your comment as saying 'use best hand on the fader' I agree with what you just said too, I scratch that way also. I always advise people to go with what feels normal/natural but explain the pros and cons of starting on either side and try to recommend best hand on the record for the same reasons you mentioned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBearOne8III Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 oddly enough, im right handed, but my left hand is my record hand. when i started on the tables, my left hand just naturally gravitated towards the records. for years, i had both tables on the left side of the mixer. I just recently switched them back and i've been purposely trying to train my right hand to perform like my left. i wish i started this years ago since i have no time to practice anymore. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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