This week, I teach you how to do the Chirp Flare scratch.

The Chirp Flare scratch is a “combo” scratch combining a chirp then a flare. You can one click flare or 2 click flare then chirp. Please see the other scratch tutorial videos for how to flare and chirp.

Once you have the basics down, experiment with timings and swing. Flare forwards and back. Next time I will show you how to do what I call the “Short-e Special” scratch!

The beat is #8546 taken from the Studio Scratches Beats for Scratch Practice Vol. 1 series. Perfect for practicing your scratching!

What do you think of this tutorial? Want us to do more? Please leave your feedback and comments.

If you post a video response I will critique it and advise you if required.

Happy Scratching!

- Short-e

This week, I teach you how to do the Flare scratch.

The Flare scratch is an open fader scratch. Start with the fader open, release the sample then cut the sound in 2 by closing the fader then opening it again. You can flare on the forwards record movement and the back.

Once you have the basics down, experiment with timings and swing. Flare forwards and back. Practice hard as next week I will show you how to combine this with the chirp scratch to get one of the funkiest scratches around!

The beat is #8528 taken from the Studio Scratches Beats for Scratch Practice Vol. 1 series

What do you think of this tutorial? Want us to do more? Please leave your feedback and comments.

If you post a video response I will critique it and advise you if required.

Happy Scratching!

- Short-e

OK so it’s not Tuesday but I’m sure you want this video tutorial early.

This week, I teach you how to do the Crab scratch. Named because your hand looks like a crab when you do the movements, this scratch is attained by rubbing 3 or 4 fingers from pinky or ring to index over the fader quickly to cut the sound in.

Like any new scratch, the best way to perfect this is lots of practice! Walk around practicing the finger movements without a fader to help your muscles remember.

Once you have the basics down, experiment with timings and swing. Crab forwards and back. Add a stab or a forward here and there.

The beat is #8546 taken from the Studio Scratches Beats for Scratch Practice Vol. 1 series

What do you think of this tutorial? Want us to do more? Please leave your feedback and comments.

If you post a video response I will critique it and advise you if required.

Happy Scratching!

This week, Short-e teaches you how to do the Chirp scratch. Named because it sounds like a bird chirping away, this scratch is attained by playing the sample forwards and cutting the end of the sample off, then bringing the record back and turning the fader on. Repeat.

You probably heard DJ Premier use this scratch loads and it can be really funky. Although relatively simple you can achieve much with this scratch, combining it with flares for the chirp flare.

This tutorial is aimed more for the beginner just starting out but we hope you seasoned pro scratchers enjoy the beat and QnA at the end.

Once you have the basics down, experiment with timings and swing. Chirps are great to practice triplets with.

The beat is #8528 taken from the Studio Scratches Beats for Scratch Practice Vol. 1 series

What do you think of this tutorial? Want us to do more? Please leave your feedback and comments.

If you post a video response we will critique it and advise you if required.

Happy Scratching!

Happy Tutorial Tuesday!

This week, Short-e teaches you how to do the Transformer scratch. Named because it sounds like a transformer record, this scratch is attained by playing a long sample and cutting the sound on and off with the fader.

This tutorial is aimed more for the beginner just starting out but we hope you seasoned pro scratchers enjoy the beat and QnA at the end.

If you are following all of our tutorials you should now have a nice few basic scratches to practice. Try and link them together so a baby then a transform, or forward then a transform backwards. Most importantly KEEP PRACTICING!

Once you have the basics down, experiment with timings and swing.

The beat is #8546 taken from the Studio Scratches Beats for Scratch Practice Vol. 1 series

What do you think of this tutorial? Want us to do more? Please leave your feedback and comments.

If you are a beginner, post a video response and we will critique it and advise you.

Happy Scratching!

Sign up to be notified of our full online video “How To Scratch” course launch:

We are pleased to present to you the second and third in a series of mini scratch tutorial videos.

This week, Short-e teaches you how to do the Forward scratch and Stab scratch.

These scratch tutorials are aimed more for the beginner just starting out but we hope you seasoned pro scratchers enjoy the beat and QnA at the end.

The Forward Scratch (Cutting)

This scratch involves opening the crossfader and moving the record “forwards” (hence the name), then closing the crossfader whilst you move the record back to the starting position. You do not hear the backward sound. try these slowly, then faster. This was one of the very first scratches I learnt. The co-ordination might seem a bit strange at first, but stick with it and you will soon get the hang of it. It is a bit like patting your head whilst rubbing your tummy type vibe.

The Stab Scratch

Practice the stab until you can do the stab very fast and with great precision. Once you have the basics down for both scratches, experiment with timings and swing. You can also combine the two different scratches. Why not throw in a few baby scratches too, then you have your very first combo scratches.

The beat is #8546 taken from the Studio Scratches Beats for Scratch Practice Vol. 1 series

What do you think of this tutorial? Want us to do more? Please leave your feedback and comments.

If you are a beginner, post a video response and we will critique it and advise you.

Happy Scratching!

We are pleased to present to you the first in a series of mini scratch tutorials.

This week, Short-e teaches you how to do the Baby scratch. Do not be fooled by the name, it is the easiest scratch to learn and the hardest to master. Mastering the baby scratch will lay a strong foundation for the other scratches coming up in the future especially the chirp.

This tutorial is aimed more for the beginner just starting out but we hope you seasoned pro scratchers enjoy the beat and QnA at the end.

A “simple” moving back and forth of the record with no cross fader movement, so this is a one handed scratch. Whilst this is easy in that you can start making a sound that sounds pretty good, the real challenge is in the control of your hand to move the record, or what we call “record control”. This is something that you can only develop with practice. Get your babies DOWN!

Once you have the basics down, experiment with timings and swing.

The beat is #8546 taken from the Studio Scratches Beats for Scratch Practice Vol. 1 series

What do you think of this tutorial? Want us to do more? Please leave your feedback and comments.

If you are a beginner, post a video response and we will critique it and advise you.

Happy Scratching!

One of the best scratch video tutorials I have seen for the (fast) autobahn scratch (9 sounds total). Shown cutting regular style:

Props to DJ Dirty Digits and Scratch Academy for posting.

Happy Scratching!

- Short-e

DJ Angelo continues to create very well explained free scratch video tutorials for all you regular scratchers. His latest video covers the 1 click flare and I must say he has made this tricky scratch very easy to understand which should make it easier to put into practice.

Check out DJ Angelos other 8 scratch video tutorials series here

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DJ Angelo: http://www.djangelo.co.uk

If these tutorials help you please consider making a donation to Angelo using paypal to the address payangelo@hotmail.com so he can keep making this excellent series. Or contact him via any of the above.

- Short-e

With more and more video tutorials springing up for scratch DJs, here is the latest offering from DJ Shiftee / DubSpot. Here’s the blurb:

Learn how to scratch . . . SALSA STYLE!

DJ Shiftee, DubSpot Instructor & DMC World Battle Champion, has released a series of free comprehensive video tutorials.

http://myspace.com/djshiftee
http://www.dubspot.com

DJ Shiftee is one of the premiere battle DJs in the world. As the 2007 DMC Supremacy World Champion and 2008 IDA/ITF World Vice Champion, he actively teaches at DubSpot NYC and performs turntablist showcases, experimental group projects, and party sets throughout the globe.

DubSpot is an innovative electronic music production & DJ institute in New York City. As one of the first Ableton Certified Training Centers in the world, DubSpot has become the premier music school for both experienced & aspiring artists alike. Most importantly, DubSpot is a growing community of musicians, visual artists, DJs, audio technology professionals, industry veteran producers, & enthusiasts of all genres who all have one thing in common — a passion for music.