Josh recently asked:
I know you said you were right handed so your dominant hand is on the fader.
When I began, I started with my dominant (right) hand on the record.
But recently after I started watching your videos I wanted to learn how to crab scratch. To do this I had to switch it around and use my dominant hand on the fader and left hand on the record like you. I also had to use the hamster switch. It was like starting all over again using the left record. I’ve learned to crab decently but it’s the first scratch I’ve actually learned, everything else I’ve just done on my own (mainly on the right hand turntable).
My question is, should I continue to practice and learn scratches the way I learned the crab scratch with my dominate hand on the fader and hamster switch on? Is that the way you learned everything?
Otherwise, I would go back to using my right hand on the right record and left on the fader with the hamster switch off. I’m more comfortable that way but it will make it very hard to advance with my clumsy left hand on the fader.
The other option is to practice equally on both sides using different skills I learn on each side.
What do you recommend? Also, are there any tips to getting my left (less dominant) hand more coordinated? Sorry for the novel, thanks for reading!
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Hey Josh, a simple enough question, but one that we can explore in much detail. I have aimed to break it down bit by bit below. For all my regular readers, this is a longer post than normal and contains a great deal of information, so my advice is to take your time and not let it overwhelm you. I hope that even the most experienced of you get something out of it too.
Let’s break this down into 6 mini sections:
- Should you scratch with my dominant hand on the crossfader or the record?
- Should you scratch with the crossfader hamster (reverse) or regular style?
- The way I learnt and why.
- Should you go back to what feels more comfortable?
- Should you practice equally on both sides?
- Tips for getting your weaker hand more coordinated on the crossfader?
1 – Should I practice with my dominant hand on the crossfader or the record?
Please understand that there is most definitely no RIGHT or WRONG way. It is all personal preference and what you feel is best for you. Beware anyone that tells you otherwise!
Let’s look at the pros and cons of each option:
Using your dominant hand on the record
Pros
- If your dominant hand is your right hand, this gives a more anatomically efficient, natural record movement when your hand moves backwards and forwards.
- Techniques such as tears, faderless scratches and record tapping /push techniques which require a finer level of control may be easier to learn.
- You will probably have a greater level of expression with the way you can control the record movements backwards and forwards.
- If using your right hand on the record, your thumb is positioned on the outside of the vinyl, which means you can use it for different scratch techniques such as using your thumb to touch the side of the platter to achieve various effects.
- Again, if using your right hand on the record, the distance between the the fader and the record is less which can make it easier to do crossover scratch techniques.
Cons
- The more complicated fader movements like the twiddle and crab may be harder and take longer to learn with your weaker hand which can be discouraging.
- When using your weaker hand on the crossfader, it may feel similar to learning to write with your opposite hand to usual; unnatural and awkward.
Using your dominant hand on the crossfader
Pros
- You are more likely to have a finer level of control, making the crossfader movements easier to learn.
- The more complicated fader techniques such as twiddles and crabs will be learnt quicker and easier.
- Using your stronger hand on the fader will most likely give you more immediate results which can be encouraging when you are starting out.
- Record control is easier to learn than fader control in degree of difficulty.
- If you are new to DJing, you may feel that using your weaker hand on the vinyl doesn’t actually feel much different to using your dominant hand as it is all new skills and techniques that are unfamiliar anyway.
- If your right hand is dominant, your fader hand is closer to the stop button on the left turntable (assuming you use tech 1200′s) which is handy for various scratch techniques and tricks.
Cons
- Vinyl control may be harder and take longer to learn with your weaker hand.
Other Scratch DJs Viewpoints
I previously opened out the question in this post here Beginner Scratch Questions and there are some really good real life examples and viewpoints. Here is a summary of the most useful comments:
5 – Should I practice on both sides?
I would say that generally, most accomplished scratch DJs do not train to scratch on both sides.
The exception might be people that beat juggle / enter battles (e.g. DMC) and perform routines where it is necessary to have scratch and record control skills on both sides. I would say that these DJs still probably prefer scratching on one side more than the other. Think of a surfer or skater, they have their preferred dominant foot at the rear of their board. Switch stance is possible but it takes a lot of practice to get good both ways.
I only have one deck set up at the moment and I never practice the other way round. When I was mixing out in clubs, I would practice the baby scratch and chirp scratch the other way as this helped me dropping in stuff to the mix.
Honestly, sometimes I think I would like to be able to scratch the other way round. However, at this point this would be a HUGE time investment for me, but who knows, maybe I will have a go one day. I could also choose to scratch with the crossfader regular instead of hamster! The ultimate switch challenge!
If you have the time, patience and inclination to practice on both sides then great! Go for it!
6 – Tips for getting your weaker hand more coordinated on the crossfader
If you do decide to stick with your weaker hand on the crossfader there are definitely things and approaches to help this.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record:
- Practice! See my article on how to get really good at scratching.
- Repetition. If you repeat physical movements it builds muscle memory. Even using my dominant hand on the fader, it took a while for the crab fader movement to become strong and second nature, but by using the principle of repetition it is achievable for either hand.
- Start with simple scratches. The transform scratch would be a good place to start. You can then work up to more advanced scratches.
- Practice slowly then work on speed once you understand the technique and have a basic grasp of it.
Summary
Phew, that concludes this mega post!
So there you have it Josh, I do hope that helps aid your understanding and help you figure out what is right for you.
What do you readers think about using your dominant hand on the crossfader or record? Please add your comments and viewpoints below with an explanation. The more info the better!
Happy Scratching! 
- Short-E
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And another view from around the net:
The Poll
I also asked the question over on the Studio Scratches Facebook Page and here are the results so far are almost a 50/50 split, with a slight preference for using the dominant hand on the record:
There are a ton of great comments here explaining each viewpoint which may help you. The main thing I took from it is that everyone is unique and has their own preferences and reasons.
2 - Should I scratch with the crossfader hamster (reverse) or regular style?
Again, this is all down to personal preference.
For a more detailed exploration to help you decided I have written a post and recorded a video explanation here: Hamster vs Regular.
3 - The way I personally learnt and the reasons why
From day 1 I used my dominant right hand on the fader.
I learnt this way because it felt most natural and comfortable to me. Part of this came from the fact that I could already play the guitar. It felt like the same physical way I would play guitar where the left hand performs the general movements up and down the fretboard and the right hand picks and strums the strings in a more intricate manner. Legendary scratch DJ Dee Swift taught me this and it made sense to me.
Initially I started with the crossfader regular rather than hamster / reverse.
Why did I change to hamster?
When I was starting out, I watched a video tutorial on the 2 click orbit by DJ Prime Cuts of the Scratch Perverts. He was performing this in hamster and I just copied what he did and found that I really enjoyed scratching that way. Something just clicked. I found open fader techniques like the flare so much easier in reverse / hamster style.
Although I was already performing the transform scratch and chirp scratch regular, I weighed up the options and after some experimentation, found that retraining my existing closed fader scratches in hamster style was easier than learning the open fader techniques like the 2 click orbit with the crossfader in regular.
This also backed up Dee Swift’s theory that pushing the fader to open in in hamster style is like stumming the strings of a guitar away from you, which I already knew how to do.
For a more in depth comparison at hamster vs regular see my article here.
4 - Should I go back to what feels more comfortable?
Again this is completely up to you. I would suggest however that you stick with what you are most comfortable with then work on using your weaker left hand on the fader if this feels better to you.
You can learn either way, it just might take longer.
In the end it probably doesn’t matter too much, so go with what feels right for you and most importantly have FUN! It can be frustrating when you are starting out but with practice and perseverance, you will be scratching better than ever.
Trust yourself and your gut instinct.
To illustrate this look at the variety of world class DJs that scratch in each of the different ways possible:
Examples of the 4 basic scratch styles /options and famous scratch DJs that use them:
You can see there are examples of all 4 styles and great scratching is possible whichever style you choose.
Please note that it is possible to learn from all of my scratch tutorials whether you scratch hamster / reverse or regular and whether you have your right or left hand on the fader.
Just think of it in terms concepts, so this is simply:
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