Scratch Patterns
Scratch Patterns
Provided by DJ Source
| Baby Scratch | | The baby scratch is probably the easiest scratch there is. With no use of the fader and an easy pattern to remember it provides an ideal starting place for the beginner. The scratch itself comprises of a forwards movement followed immediately by a backwards movement. The key to this scratch is that both movements should be done in the space of a single beat. This type of movement is identical to that of beat matching when lining up a beat. Note that even though this scratch is basic variations can still be found. You might try reversing the direction so that you start of with a backwards movement and ending in a forwards one. You could also try varying the speed of the strokes. |
| Scribble Scratch | Listen | | The scribble scratch is very similar to the baby scratch but the movement is smaller and faster. To do this scratch you need to tense your forearm muscle whilst your hand is on the vinyl. This should result in a hand movement that can only be described as a bad case of the shakes. The key to this scratch is to make sure that the vinyl only moves a small amount under the needle and at a reasonable pace. |
| Tear Scratch | | The tear involves a bit more skill than the scratches covered so far. Essentially the movement is the same as a baby scratch but the backwards stroke is split into two different sections. The first half of the back movement should be fast followed by a slower second half. It might help to practice just the backstroke so that you get used to the change in speed. |
| The Chop or Stab | | A good scratch to start you off using the fader is the chop also known as the stab. The hand movement used for this scratch is the same as the baby scratch mentioned earlier. The difference though between this and the baby is made by cutting of the backstroke using the crossfader. The fader should start with the sound on (termed open) and the forward stroke completed as normal. The cut comes just before you start the backstroke where you should close the fader. The key to this scratch is the timing of the fader action. The overall sound created should be a short sudden scratch. |
| The Forward | | The forward scratch is similar to the chop but instead of scratching the vinyl on the forward stroke, it is left to play at normal speed. The backstroke is cut off as in the chop using the fader. The sample is brought back to the beginning (with the fader closed) then allowed to play again with the fader open. The result is a constant repeat of the same sample ideal for vocals. The tricky part about this scratch is lining the sample up in the correct place at speed. A technique used by some DJ's is to put a marker on the label or vinyl so that the beginning of the sample is easily spotted. |
| The Chirp | | To complete this scratch requires a little more hand co-ordination skill. Start with the fader open and make a forward stroke as normal but fade out as you get to the end. The reverse is carried out on the backstroke i.e. start fading the backstroke in. As the name suggests this should create short snappy chirp sounds. This scratch is an old one but definitely a must and can be done at various speeds to add variation. |
| The Military | Listen | | First, this skratch is actually a combo skratch, although some fail to acknowledge it, and it uses both the stab and the baby skratch together to make this skratch. Starting the first part with a quick stab, then a simple baby skratch. Continue this combo repeatedly in order to create a cadence. Now think of a military song that has drums in it. Notice how the drums keep a constant cadence with the same repetitive pattern. All you have to do is work this combination of skratches so that you come out with a cadence of your own. When you finally get it down, you can double up on the skratches, by doing two quick stabs and two baby skratches. Then you can alternate and create your own military skratch patterns or even use them with other skratches to create a sequenced routine when skratching to a beat or when performing with a Team. |
| The Transformer | Listen | | The scratch known as the transformer requires the fader to be used at speed and with accuracy. At the beginning of this scratch, the fader should be in the closed position. When you are ready to begin, you should slowly drag the record forwards and backwards under the needle. The fader should then be used to cut the sound in and then back out straight away. This "in out" action should be repeated several times at speed to create the stutter effect desired. To end the scratch the fader should finish in the closed position. |
| The Flare | | The flare is similar to the transformer with respect to the fader speed but the difference lies in the starting position of the fader. To start the flare the fader needs to be in the open position. Whilst doing the forward stroke with the vinyl the fader should be closed then opened again at speed. On the backwards stroke the same should be done again, fader closed then finishing in the open position once more. |
| The Orbit | | The orbit takes the flare one stage further by increasing the amount of times you fade the sample in and out. During a single stroke of the flare you would fade the sample out then back in again. However, during a single stroke of the orbit this needs to be doubled. In terms of the fader movement, it should go something a bit like this... (start with the fader open) closed, open, closed, open. This movement should then be done again during the backwards stroke. The key to this scratch is to try to create a rhythm with the fader so that you are opening and closing the fader at the same positions each time creating a tidy scratch. |
| The Crab | | This is a tricky scratch to master as it requires the dj to have good skills but also the equipment that you use needs to perform well. When the fader is positioned so that you can just hear the other turntable it is known as the "cut in" point. To perform the crab the fader should start in the closed position. Your thumb needs to be placed at the cut in point with your other four fingers held vertically on the other side of the fader. During the forward stroke, each finger should hit the fader to the thumb, which acts as a spring returning the fader to the closed position. Starting with your little finger first, followed by your ring, middle, then index finger you should achieve a rhythmical flicking motion resembling the movement of a crabs legs hence the name of this scratch. I mentioned earlier that the equipment also needs to perform during this scratch. Completing this scratch is almost impossible if you have a stiff fader (normally found on the cheaper models). |
[ Go Back ]
Mixing & Techniques Copyright © by The DJ Groove - (3932 Reads) | 
