Tell me about your practice

Home :: Oldschool - vinyl and disc Djs topic :: Tell me about your practiceReply
Tell me about your practice
Posted on: 23.04.2012 by Glennis Bischoff
so i picked some pretty decent turntables. the Gemini XL-500II direct drive. its not very strong, and bounces like a sluts bedframe, but still i practice.

i've been practicing since january. almost every day for an hour. i finally feel a little ok with my skills that i'm gaining.

but its still small, simple, and novice to me. i dont feel like im growing as fast as i should be in scratching and beat matching.


so.... i ask you guys. how long did you practice before you felt good about your skills, and how difficult would you say it was to get there. do you believe it could have some to do with really bouncy and semi-weak decks? i wouldnt blame it on them totally, cause ive seen people kick ass on plastic shit numark belt drives. but seriously, i need to start improving more than this. its hardly noticeable to me that im improving. gimme some of your tips to improve, and how you practice.

TL;DR give me practice help and ways to improve. questions welcome too.
Verona Spradlin
28.04.2012
Originally Posted by DannyAK
derp.. scratchin on them evening club II's.. elliptical stylus, probly not too good for the record. :P
They came with my 1200s. Plus they were the "S" shaped ones not the "E". I already got rid of them and got a regular Pro S Stylus.
Ginger Vinegar
28.04.2012
Originally Posted by hipnopath
It's better to practice a little bit everyday than a lot one day (say 20 minutes a day vs. 2 hours in a weekend). I'd say it took me about 6 months to become confident with my skills and it wasn't difficult, just time consuming. I learned to scratch on belt driven turntables, but once I got just one 1200, even with a shitty mixer, I was able to increase my ability by A LOT because of the added torque and tracking ability which is important in scratching. If you keep practicing, you ARE improving if you notice it or not. The best way is to record your practices and view them after noting what you need to work on. I did this my entire way in learning and I believe it has helped me a lot.

Here's me with 6 months of scratching.



Here's me with one year of scratching.



And here's me just about now.



So in other words: practice, practice, practice. I learned most of what I know from DJ Angelo's YouTube tutorials which I highly suggest you use. He is a magnificent teacher and his tutorials are top notch.

derp.. scratchin on them evening club II's.. elliptical stylus, probly not too good for the record. :P
Glennis Bischoff
23.04.2012
so i picked some pretty decent turntables. the Gemini XL-500II direct drive. its not very strong, and bounces like a sluts bedframe, but still i practice.

i've been practicing since january. almost every day for an hour. i finally feel a little ok with my skills that i'm gaining.

but its still small, simple, and novice to me. i dont feel like im growing as fast as i should be in scratching and beat matching.


so.... i ask you guys. how long did you practice before you felt good about your skills, and how difficult would you say it was to get there. do you believe it could have some to do with really bouncy and semi-weak decks? i wouldnt blame it on them totally, cause ive seen people kick ass on plastic shit numark belt drives. but seriously, i need to start improving more than this. its hardly noticeable to me that im improving. gimme some of your tips to improve, and how you practice.

TL;DR give me practice help and ways to improve. questions welcome too.
Verona Spradlin
28.04.2012
Originally Posted by DannyAK
derp.. scratchin on them evening club II's.. elliptical stylus, probly not too good for the record. :P
They came with my 1200s. Plus they were the "S" shaped ones not the "E". I already got rid of them and got a regular Pro S Stylus.
Brunilda Kora
28.04.2012
I don't do it enough...

Bloody community s eatin' into my precious practice time.
Ginger Vinegar
28.04.2012
i try to do some practice everyday, whether its scratch or mixing, i just need to so something.. but yeah generally about a half hour does it.. no need to practice 3 hours or something, it gets to a point where its non beneficial to practice anymore than you can handle.
Ginger Vinegar
28.04.2012
Originally Posted by hipnopath
It's better to practice a little bit everyday than a lot one day (say 20 minutes a day vs. 2 hours in a weekend). I'd say it took me about 6 months to become confident with my skills and it wasn't difficult, just time consuming. I learned to scratch on belt driven turntables, but once I got just one 1200, even with a shitty mixer, I was able to increase my ability by A LOT because of the added torque and tracking ability which is important in scratching. If you keep practicing, you ARE improving if you notice it or not. The best way is to record your practices and view them after noting what you need to work on. I did this my entire way in learning and I believe it has helped me a lot.

Here's me with 6 months of scratching.



Here's me with one year of scratching.



And here's me just about now.



So in other words: practice, practice, practice. I learned most of what I know from DJ Angelo's YouTube tutorials which I highly suggest you use. He is a magnificent teacher and his tutorials are top notch.

derp.. scratchin on them evening club II's.. elliptical stylus, probly not too good for the record. :P
Ira Alsadi
26.04.2012
I like to mix up my practicing, especially when scratching. If I am learning a new scratch or combo, I go back to basic scratches or straight mixing when I begin to get frustrated. I want to enjoy what I am doing so keeping it from seeming like a chore is very important.
Audrey Pinda
26.04.2012
Honestly the big thing for me is trying to hit the decks EVERY DAY. Or at least if I have to miss a day, getting on the next evening. Sometimes I just want to be lazy, but it's about time and effort more than anything. Something I learned playing instruments (Bass guitar, Flute, Tuba, Harmonica) it's just about practicing.

Sometimes I'm in the groove, sometimes I'm not.

Also, record EVERYTHING you do, and then listen back to it later. In the car, on the bus, whatever. I've found that's helped me a lot figuring out where I need to improve and change things. Also posting it up places and asking for feedback has honestly helped me a TON in a short amount of time.

I also have the luxury I guess that most of my close friends also spin, and while none of us play out at the moment, we get together and just chill and have turns at the tables. And we also travel to events together all the time, and always have new mixes for each other to listen to in the car for the rides. It's super helpful looking over someone else's mix, and then having them look at yours as well. It's something that I almost take as a given these days, but I realize not everyone might have that.

But really, just keep at it. I've owned my setup for under a year, and I already feel 10000x better than when I started.
Danae Dumler
25.04.2012
dang hipnopath, I started scratching over 10 years ago and your 6 months video makes me look like an amateur It shows exactly what you're talking about re: practice though; the times I did practice daily for a couple months I saw dramatic improvements. The reason I still suck is I just don't ever practice regularly these days.
Glennis Bischoff
25.04.2012
i know alot of people aspiring to be producers, or are already good producers, or artists of traditional instruments, but i'm the only aspiring turntablist around it seems
Armanda Yankauskas
25.04.2012
ohh you in the states! there is a dj around every corner just gotta look hard enough
Glennis Bischoff
24.04.2012
no, sorry, i described that bad. north central UNITED STATES, not Central America. sorry for the confusion, im from North Dakota.
Armanda Yankauskas
24.04.2012
ah.... WAIT JUST A MINUTE! are you from guatemala?!!?
Glennis Bischoff
24.04.2012
yeah, unfortunately i only have the internet. not many dj's around the north central america
Armanda Yankauskas
24.04.2012
and i believe being around others that are better than you to practice with makes you work harder/learn more in my opinion. its like your always pushing each other to become better. if you understand what im saying
Glennis Bischoff
24.04.2012
IVE SEEN YOUR VIDS! ive scrounged youtube, and am currently taking hints from DJ Angelo, and the bare stuff Shiftee lets out from Dubspot.

well, atleast i will have more time come summer, and will be able to scratch in peace while im relaxed, not stressed from a days work and school.
Verona Spradlin
24.04.2012
It's better to practice a little bit everyday than a lot one day (say 20 minutes a day vs. 2 hours in a weekend). I'd say it took me about 6 months to become confident with my skills and it wasn't difficult, just time consuming. I learned to scratch on belt driven turntables, but once I got just one 1200, even with a shitty mixer, I was able to increase my ability by A LOT because of the added torque and tracking ability which is important in scratching. If you keep practicing, you ARE improving if you notice it or not. The best way is to record your practices and view them after noting what you need to work on. I did this my entire way in learning and I believe it has helped me a lot.

Here's me with 6 months of scratching.



Here's me with one year of scratching.



And here's me just about now.



So in other words: practice, practice, practice. I learned most of what I know from DJ Angelo's YouTube tutorials which I highly suggest you use. He is a magnificent teacher and his tutorials are top notch.

<< Back to Oldschool - vinyl and disc Djs topicReply

Copyright 2012-2023
DJRANKINGS.ORG n.g.o.
Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan

Created by Ajaxel CMS

Terms & Privacy