scratching
Turntablism
Hip Hop has four elements: rapping/emceeing, breakdancing, graffiti art,
and turntablism. Scratching records is a form of turntablism,
which is the manipulation of a turntable, pre-recorded music,
and mixer in a "free-form" manner (i.e., like jazz
musicians that improvise). A turntablist not only scratches,
but may also use the crossfader or upfader to add or subtract
beats (i.e., beat juggling) and to transform (see below). Battle
DJ's are the best example of turntablists. Often playing
hip hop (it makes little sense for a trance DJ to be a turntablist),
these DJ's have turned a consumer playback device (i.e., the
turntable) into a percussion instrument.
Bringing
these techniques to the next level, disc jockey's such as DJ
Radar are introducing turntablism to other
musical traditions such as classical music. Radar and partner
-- composer Raul Yanez
-- are challenging the free-form nature of turntablism by writing
musical scores for the turntable. To facilitate his work, he
employs a Vestax PDX2000 Pro Direct-Drive Turntable because its
pitch adjust has greater range than other turntables. As Radar
puts it, "if you are using a tone in D on 33 rpm, the range
(by using the pitch adjust) would then be from C# to G# of the
next octave." As you can see, Radar is also challenging
other turntablists to learn music composition and structure (which
is a shift away from the free-form tradition).
Cueing
Before you start
scratching, you must know how to cue a record. There are two
ways to cue a record: (1) the old-style back-spin (radio station)
method; and (2) the "slip-cue" method used by beat
mixers and scratchers.
Method One
Even though
this section is about scratching, you should familiarize yourself
with the old style "back-spin" method of cueing a record.
During the radio days, when jocks used vinyl, this is how DJ's
cued records:
1. Listening
through your headphones (the song you're cueing can't be heard
on the radio or dance floor), place the needle on the record
at the spot where you want to start the song (usually the first
note of the song).
2. With the
turntable's start/stop button on STOP, move the record back and
fourth with your hand so that the needle is located exactly on
the first note.
3. Once the
needle is located above the first note, move the record about
4 inches before that note.
4. When it's
time to play the song, hit the start button on the turntable
-- making sure you time the start accounting for the one or two
seconds that it will take for the needle to move across the 4
inches (thereby starting the song). At the same time, with the
other hand, slide the cross-fader over so that the volume of
the new song is up and the old song is down. The reason you start
at four inches before the song is because if you were to start
exactly on top of the note, the gradual acceleration of the turntable
is heard (changing the pitch of the song for the first second).
Method Two
The "slip-cue"
method (pioneered by DJ Francis Grasso) eliminated the problem
of the delay, making it possible for a DJ to start a song exactly
on the first note (without having to mentally calculate when
the song would start).
1. First, remove
the rubber piece that comes with your turntable and replace it
with a slipmat.
2. Listen to
the song through your headphones only (the song you're cueing
can't be heard on the dance floor). With the start/stop button
on the turntable on START, move the record back-and-fourth with
your hand so that the needle is located exactly on the first
note. However, because of the slipmat, you can leave the turntable
in the "on" position and just hold the vinyl in place
(making sure the needle remains slightly before the first note
or beat, usually the downbeat -- i.e., bass drum). The slipmat
will allow the turntable to continue rotating as you hold the
record
As long as the
turntable is a direct-drive, you don't have to worry about damaging
the drive when you slip-cue. In contrast, the belt on a belt-drive
turntable may eventually break because the belt builds friction
and stretches over time.
3. Be sure your
needle is weighed down properly. Before Ortofons, DJ's placed
pennies on the cartridge shell to ensure that the needle stayed
in place. However, too much weight will damage the needles and
burn the vinyl (called "cue burn").
Hip Hop has four elements: rapping/emceeing, breakdancing, graffiti art,
and turntablism. Scratching records is a form of turntablism,
which is the manipulation of a turntable, pre-recorded music,
and mixer in a "free-form" manner (i.e., like jazz
musicians that improvise). A turntablist not only scratches,
but may also use the crossfader or upfader to add or subtract
beats (i.e., beat juggling) and to transform (see below). Battle
DJ's are the best example of turntablists. Often playing
hip hop (it makes little sense for a trance DJ to be a turntablist),
these DJ's have turned a consumer playback device (i.e., the
turntable) into a percussion instrument.
Bringing
these techniques to the next level, disc jockey's such as DJ
Radar are introducing turntablism to other
musical traditions such as classical music. Radar and partner
-- composer Raul Yanez
-- are challenging the free-form nature of turntablism by writing
musical scores for the turntable. To facilitate his work, he
employs a Vestax PDX2000 Pro Direct-Drive Turntable because its
pitch adjust has greater range than other turntables. As Radar
puts it, "if you are using a tone in D on 33 rpm, the range
(by using the pitch adjust) would then be from C# to G# of the
next octave." As you can see, Radar is also challenging
other turntablists to learn music composition and structure (which
is a shift away from the free-form tradition).
Cueing
Before you start
scratching, you must know how to cue a record. There are two
ways to cue a record: (1) the old-style back-spin (radio station)
method; and (2) the "slip-cue" method used by beat
mixers and scratchers.
Method One
Even though
this section is about scratching, you should familiarize yourself
with the old style "back-spin" method of cueing a record.
During the radio days, when jocks used vinyl, this is how DJ's
cued records:
1. Listening
through your headphones (the song you're cueing can't be heard
on the radio or dance floor), place the needle on the record
at the spot where you want to start the song (usually the first
note of the song).
2. With the
turntable's start/stop button on STOP, move the record back and
fourth with your hand so that the needle is located exactly on
the first note.
3. Once the
needle is located above the first note, move the record about
4 inches before that note.
4. When it's
time to play the song, hit the start button on the turntable
-- making sure you time the start accounting for the one or two
seconds that it will take for the needle to move across the 4
inches (thereby starting the song). At the same time, with the
other hand, slide the cross-fader over so that the volume of
the new song is up and the old song is down. The reason you start
at four inches before the song is because if you were to start
exactly on top of the note, the gradual acceleration of the turntable
is heard (changing the pitch of the song for the first second).
Method Two
The "slip-cue"
method (pioneered by DJ Francis Grasso) eliminated the problem
of the delay, making it possible for a DJ to start a song exactly
on the first note (without having to mentally calculate when
the song would start).
1. First, remove
the rubber piece that comes with your turntable and replace it
with a slipmat.
2. Listen to
the song through your headphones only (the song you're cueing
can't be heard on the dance floor). With the start/stop button
on the turntable on START, move the record back-and-fourth with
your hand so that the needle is located exactly on the first
note. However, because of the slipmat, you can leave the turntable
in the "on" position and just hold the vinyl in place
(making sure the needle remains slightly before the first note
or beat, usually the downbeat -- i.e., bass drum). The slipmat
will allow the turntable to continue rotating as you hold the
record
As long as the
turntable is a direct-drive, you don't have to worry about damaging
the drive when you slip-cue. In contrast, the belt on a belt-drive
turntable may eventually break because the belt builds friction
and stretches over time.
3. Be sure your
needle is weighed down properly. Before Ortofons, DJ's placed
pennies on the cartridge shell to ensure that the needle stayed
in place. However, too much weight will damage the needles and
burn the vinyl (called "cue burn").
4. When it's
time to start the song, just release the vinyl and the song should
start exactly on the first note. At the same time, with the other
hand, quickly slide the cross-fader over so that the volume of
the new song is up and the old song is down. To be precise, you
may have to slightly push the record (as you release it) to get
the beat to speed. This requires practice because you may have
to slightly "back-cue" when you push the needle into
the beat. In order to mix, you must drop the first beat exactly
on the beat of the song that's ending and then adjust the speed
with the turntable's pitch adjust (and bring the cross-fader
over gradually).
Basic scratching
is therefore, slip-cueing back and fourth over a note (i.e.,
bass drum/snare drum) or sample with the volume turned up (i.e.,
the "baby scratch"). However, as you move the needle
back and fourth, you create patterns (like a drummer) that compliments
the song(s) you're scratching over.
Scratching
Tips
But there is
much more to scratching than simply slip-cueing over a note or
beat while using the other hand to manipulate the volume. At
the time of this writing, there are over 60 different scratch
techniques (i.e., the "chirp," the "crab,"
the "flare," the "orbit," etc.). Unless you're
an aspiring turntablist, it's not important to know these different
scratch techniques (especially if you're not playing hip hop).
Here are five
general scratch tips:
1. Do not scratch
over the words/lyrics of songs (particularly songs with female
vocals). Instead, you should consider scratching over instrumental
portions of tracks;
2. Loud & excessive low-end scratching can damage the woofers
and is annoying (especially in nightclubs);
3. Don't play the scratch louder than the song you're scratching
over;
4. Unless it's expected by the crowd (i.e., you're a turntablist),
don't over-scratch (it wears out the effect's novelty and you
may appear to be showing off);
5. For new jocks, utilize 12" records that are designed
for scratching (i.e., lots of samples). Scratch records are usually
made with a better grade of vinyl (such as "regrind")
and are less likely to become damaged.
Additional
Considerations
* Use professional
cartridges for scratching (see the Equipment
101
page). The Ortofon "Scratch" with 7 Mv output is designed
for scratching.
* The center
piece in the middle of the turntable is called the "spindle."
Some battle DJ's will stack a few records on the spindle for
quick access.
* Remove the
dust cover (which can get in the way) and store it in a safe
place.
* Some DJ's
"mark" their records. By placing tape on the label
(or on the tail-out groove, spiral-in groove, or on the band
itself), the DJ can visually locate the sample they want to scratch.
The DJ may use the needle (or some other spot on the turntable)
as a benchmark and compare that mark with the tape's location.
This is how many "battle" DJ's spin without headphones
(to find their cue).
* Placing the
turntables in "battle mode" means placing the turntables
on their side (vertically). Scratch DJ's do this to avoid contact
with the tone arm and to improve their leverage vis-á-vis
the turntable. "L-mode" means that the DJ positioned
the left turntable vertically and right turntable horizontally
(resembling an "L" appearance as viewed from above).
"Reverse L-mode" means that the DJ positioned the right
turntable vertically and left turntable horizontally (i.e., opposite
of L-mode).
* A straight
tone arm, such as the one on the Vestax PDX2000 Pro Direct-Drive
Turntable, tends to give better scratch leverage than the typical
curved tone arm.
* Be sure the
turntable is properly "isolated" or stabilized. If
the turntable moves while you're scratching, the needle may bounce
off the desired scratch area. Remember that the turntable has
springs (located at the base-feet) to absorb some of the shock.
* You must have
slipmats to scratch (watch for static build-up). Also, make sure
that the needles are weighed down properly and/or the tone arm
is calibrated correctly. Some DJ's also place half of a plastic
record sleeve (cut in a circular shape) under the slipmat to
reduce friction. "Butter Rugs" are a highly recommended
brand of scratch slipmats.
* "Transforming"
is moving either the crossfader, the upfader, or the channel/toggle
switch on the mixer back-and-fourth at a quick and constant speed.
To practice transformer scratching, find a constant note (often
found in made for scratch records) and while that note is playing,
move the upfader on the mixer up-and-down as quick as possible.
By slowly moving the vinyl back and fourth with the other
hand, the effect should sound like scratching.