Happy DJs! Photo : Uneven Pavement
When you are working real hard on learning new scratches or videoing yourself for youtube, its possible that the fun might dissapear without you knowing it and things can get a bit serious.
I speak from experience and sometimes I realise I am waaaaay too focused on the outcome of my scratching, especially when I am recording videos or tutorials and even in the studio. Mostly it’s all good 99% of the time, but when it becomes overwhelming its important to stop and realise what’s going on.
The simple act of stopping and being aware lets you bring back the fun. It’s important to relax and be carefree, give youself some goaless free scratch time just for the simple pleasure or scratching rather than for reasons like improving. You’ll find that you improve faster anyway and have a lot more fun on the way. Now is all there is!
Heres 10 (or so) tips on how to put the fun back into scratching:
- Be in the moment
- Give up any goal for that session
- Mess about with comedy scratching, see how bad you can scratch
- Dig out some of your favourite beats
- Have fun with simple scratches
- Release attachment to an outcome
- Quit labelling your scratching “good” or “bad”
- Scratch for no other reason than to scratch
- Smile!
- Imagine you are showing someone else how FUN scratching is
- Stop “trying” so hard
- Take a break
- Rest
- Get enough sleep
What are your top tips for fun scratch practices? Leave your comments below.
- Short-e
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I took this advice last night and had a blast!! Far too often I get hung up on nailing certain techniques and it can become frustrating, but I just let it flow last night and it was great.
A thing I like to do to change up my practice, is to take patterns and phrases developed over 80-95bpm hip-hop and do those over drum and bass! These 90-95bpm patterns will be half time patterns over DnB and it sounds cool as!! Great way to change up your practice sessions!!
Excellent work Welly! Some great advice there too thanks for sharing! Will have to try that out. When can we expect your latest mix instrumental for scratch practice?
Thanks for the advice!
I also found out that watching people skratch on youtube can motivate you.
Getting those flares to sound crisp is a hard task.
Thanks Emma.
See you on QSU!
Hey Cooz. Definitely YouTube is an awesome resource. Keep on keeping on! x
first 0ff this is a cool site…. i find when scratching gets to serious for me i watch a funny movie like pineapple express or a movie of that nature i laugh my ass off then get back to the cuts and my energy is renewed…
Hey Channel Live, thanks for visiting. Good advice there, unplug and kick back! Laughter is the best medicine! PEACE! – Short-e