Why Virtual DJing is Becoming So Popular

As you may know from a couple of my previous articles I am not a big fan of mobile Djing, but I have done it before on more than one occasion. And to be honest with you I find that using laptops and virtual DJ software is the best way to go with mobile DJing. Most mobile jocks nowadays are now starting to use this type of format. I think the fact that not having to transport bulky equipment, CDS and vinyl's everywhere is making more and more DJs change over.

Also most pubs and venue's have sound systems already in place so it is just a case of hooking up a aux cable to your laptop and you are good to go. In my personal opinion I would recommend taking one CD deck and a couple of CDs just in case of any errors with your computer. But I suppose that depends on how confident you are with the durability of it.

One of my favourite reasons for using this format of Djing is you can pre-set your mixes, and just play them when you get to the gig, you dont have to mess around cueing up songs and mixing them just press play and let the virtual DJ software do the work for you. Which then leaves you with more time to interact with the crowd and entertain the party.

You can even slip of for a quick pint or go the toilet without fear of your track finishing.






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How to Become a DJ - How to Get Started DJing

DJing is an art as well as a science. It requires a lot of talent, passion and hard work to become a successful DJ. But without knowing exactly how to become a DJ, any and all your talent or skill will be wasted.

The first step in becoming a DJ is to learn what being a DJ is all about. A DJ is more than someone who plays good music at a club. He is a music connoisseur who stays abreast of the latest happenings of the music scheme. He is a charismatic leader who controls and dictates the action and rhythm of a party. Most importantly, he is someone who is completely in love with music and has devoted his life to it.

Once you know what being a DJ is about, you should get started on how to become a DJ.

Since I've stated already that DJing is as much art as science, it would be good to pick up a professional course and learn all the technical aspects of DJing. Plenty of full time DJs run their own courses, and you can easily find one in your city. They'll teach you everything from the technical aspects of the instruments such as turntables, to techniques such as mixing, scratching, etc. and will also help you get a grip on rhythm. As an aspiring DJ, a professional course is the most important investment you could make.

Next, peruse your music library and try to understand your own style of music. Every DJ should have a unique, signature style, and this can be formed only once you know what you yourself love to play. This may sound like a trivial step, but it can be the deciding factor in your success as a DJ.

Finally, the most important thing is to go out and get playing. This is easily the toughest step as it takes a lot of confidence to be the DJ at a party. Get started, even if its something as small as a friend's birthday party. Once you gain in confidence and ability, try to get some gigs at the local club. Network as much as you can - this is one skill no DJ can live without.

Remember that DJing is about charisma, and you can develop this only if you practice enough and put yourself out there. It can be intimidating at first, but landing your first few gigs is the most important step.



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If You Don't Breathe You May Choke - The Benefits Of Silence

Good phrasing in scratching is a lot like writing a good sentence. If done well it will contain all the necessary punctuation to get your point across. If you have a lot to say in one sentence, it helps to break things up by adding commas(or even parenthesis). Sometimes you may need to blatantly pause... for effect. All of these elements create a conversational tone to what you are writing.

If you choose to ignore punctuation in your phrasing, at best you are most likely irritating the listener. It is very typical for a lot of scratchers to do this. They go and go, yet rarely stop to see if the listener is still paying attention. When that happens the listener will usually tune out due to overwhelm. Fortunately enough for us, this issue can be remedied.

Are Your Ears On Break?

It may seem obvious that there are countless ways to use silence in scratching. In all honesty though, there are a lot of ways that I was unaware of. One of the key ways is to become a better listener. Even in a conversation, if you're the dominant speaker, it helps to give the person you're speaking to the chance to acknowledge what you're saying. This can come in the form of words like: okay, yes, right, I see.

When this concept is used in a scratch solo, the other person becomes the beat you are scratching over. If you never pause to hear the beat, it can be difficult to know if your scratching is really meshing well. In fact, if you really aren't paying attention you can really start to clash rhythmically. This is similar to when someone is ready to respond to what you've said and they do, but you don't notice because you're still talking. It can be a total train wreck!

Picking Up The Pieces

Clearly, unless you enjoy embarrassing moments, avoiding the above scenario is desirable. So let's define our goal. We want to captivate people with our scratching and give them an enjoyable and memorable experience. If they really enjoy what you do, they'll likely be back for more.

Pausing regularly, even for brief moments, is a great way to keep track of where you are in the beat and stay in sync with the rhythm. When this happens you will flow more smoothly. You'll be more at one with the beat and the listener WILL notice. Even if they aren't really into scratching, you have a better chance of capturing their interest. If they enjoy the beat you're scratching over, they'll likely be more into you, simply because you're blending in with the beat more successfully.

A Strong Accent

There are defining moments in a beat that you should definitely pay attention to. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by taking advantage of this. One such typical way is to pause at the end of a loud snare drum. If one particular snare drum is louder(more dynamic) than the rest, try pausing as soon as it ends. This will naturally bring out more strength in that part of the beat and your solo.

I get an image of a drumhead being punctured or a speaker popping. It's also similar to adding multiple exclamation points to your sentence!!! Be wary not to overuse this idea as it can become too predictable, but when used in moderation it can really catch your listener off guard. As we all know, being too predictable equals boredom. The opposite is also true. When no one knows what to expect things can get VERY interesting.

No Need For Crutches

So as you can see, boredom is not a friend of ours. We need to take extra caution to make sure that we're not over dependent on silence in our scratch solos. The saying, "all good things in moderation, including moderation", applies here.

There are times when silence can actually be detrimental to what you're trying to express. You may have a whirlwind of fast, crazy emotion to unload on the listener. If you were to use silence throughout that part of your solo, much of the impact would be lost. By waiting to add silence after you've expressed those emotions, you not only get the full idea out properly but you add extra impact by ending in an abrupt manner.

The Balancing Act

Ultimately we want to control silence. Not let it control us. You do this by developing a great sense of when to use it and how much of it to use. Experimentation during practice is a great way to further improve upon this skill. I highly recommend recording and reviewing your scratching to hear if you are violating or emulating the principles laid out in this article.

It may be painful at times to hear mistakes you are making. However, awareness of one's faults is extremely vital to effectively improving as a scratch dj. You may not even catch all of your mistakes. If you are new to this concept it can be tough to perceive what is right or wrong. That is okay. Going through the process of thinking things through on your own, will do wonders for your awareness. Thus, you'll find that you're increased awareness will lead to improvement in many other areas of your scratching.



For more information on how to improve your scratching, go to http://kwotemusic.com and sign up to my newsletter where I feature free lessons monthly.

Kwote

http://kwotemusic.com

© 2011 Kwotemusic




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Pitch Variation - A Matter Of Urgency

Scratching is a lot like your emotions. It can be very reserved and almost non expressive, or it can be full of intensity. Imagine if you had an emergency and you had to convey it immediately to the person next to you. It's safe to assume that if you kind of mumbled the message in a lifeless way, they probably wouldn't take you seriously. However, that is not the typical way we express ourselves during an emergency situation.

The opposite can also be true. If you were at the dinner table and you were asking the person next to you to pass the salt, you probably wouldn't act too alarmed about it. However, many times in scratching we tend not to express the right emotions at the right times. Even worse we simply don't express much at all. Working on pitch variation and the timing of such variations is a great way to pull yourself out of the dark cell you may be currently imprisoning yourself in.

Don't Throw Away The Key

Speaking of prison, if you were in a jail cell and you had the key you'd most likely open the cell and make a break for it. So why is it that we often place ourselves into boxes we think we can't get out of? Often times it boils down to focusing too much on the problem and not the solution.

A great way to avoid self imposed limitation is to focus in on pitch variation. Whether you're a beginner or advanced at scratching, you've probably painted yourself into a corner enough times. By taking what you already know and working on expanding the pitch range of it, you can greatly expand your expressive capabilities.

Hey! Look Out!

Various pitches communicate various things. Extremely high pitches communicate tension and intensity. On the other hand, extremely low pitches communicate release or a relaxed state of being. There are times to be intense and there are times not to. Our goal when relying on pitch to express what we want is to use it at the times it is necessary to convey such emotions.

The range of pitch in scratching is immense. For those familiar with turntables that have ultra pitch functions, you realize the pitch can go 50% faster or slower than the original speed of the record. With such a vast amount of octaves to play in the options reach far and wide. The best part is you don't even need an ultra pitch turntable to access this amazing pitch range. It can all be done manually when executing your techniques.

This is a great attribute for scratching to have because it represents all the different levels of intensity that scratching can have. Some examples of situations that call for certain levels of intensity would have to do with the melodic and rhythmic content of the beat you are scratching over. If the melody of the beat is laid back, you could compliment the beat with some lower, more even tempered pitches. If the beat is fast and the drums are pounding strong, high pitch scratching would be a great way to add to that intensity. Likewise, you may want to subtract from the mood at times when it becomes too intense by scratching in the lower pitch range.

Woah Nelly!

There are times when you may want to cut the variations down and simply stay within a tighter pitch range. Situations like this may include a beat where the overall mood is very static and you want to match that mood throughout the length of the track. Or perhaps the chorus is meant to only express one type of feeling and you want to match that emotion. These examples are by no means all inclusive. The challenge and the fun for you as the artist is to think and discover multitudes of ways to use pitch variation to your advantage.

To The Moon Alice!

As you can see, there's a myriad of possibilities within the concept of pitch. It is important to realize that for every scratch you can do, there's a chance to do it in a variety of alternate pitches. It's truly a multiplier of all your scratch vocabulary. Whether it's a scratch you've been doing for years, or something you just picked up, the concept of pitch expansion can and should be applied.

A good way to get tons out of this concept is to place limitations on yourself. Imagine you're a painter and you've decided to paint a mountainside. However, you only have three colors on your paint palette. You want to paint a brown mountain that has many different cracks, crannies, nooks and shadows. The three colors you're restricted to using are brown, white and black. While that may seem like an extreme limitation, the reality is anyone with decent painting experience could tell you it's more than enough.

Floodgates Unleashed

Now that you have a better idea of pitch and its function in the greater world of self expression, it's an excellent time to start experimenting with it. Even if you just begin using it a little bit, you'll notice quickly how much of an impact it will have on your ability to express yourself more effectively. You may even have extensive experience in building your pitch vocabulary. Despite that fact, it is likely you are neglecting at least some aspect of your scratching that could benefit from a wider range of pitch choices. Start being heard more. Demand people's attention!



For more information on how to improve your scratching, go to http://kwotemusic.com and sign up to my newsletter where I feature free lessons monthly.

Kwote

http://kwotemusic.com

© 2011 Kwotemusic




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DJ Success - Top Tips to DJ Success and Earning Great Money

Most aspiring DJs end up selling their expensive gear for a considerable less amount than they paid for it.

Why?

Because they did not know the secrets of becoming successful. As a professional DJ and trainer of professional DJs, I know what it takes.

Here is the top list of problems holding most DJs back from success -

Arrogance - Getting behind the decks with an attitude is a great way to kill your career before you even get off the ground. Aim to have a personality, not attitude.

Poor dress - If you are paid as a professional DJ, it is your responsibility to dress respectfully. Dress to suit the occasion. Just because you are a DJ does not give you the right to turn up to a "suit and tie" event in a T-Shirt and jeans.

Music Fixation - I have seen so many potentially great DJs run a very short career path due to the fact that they only play the music that they want to hear. A good DJ will play what the audience wants to hear.

And the #1 reason most DJ's fail...

Poor Music Knowledge - So many DJs don't have anywhere near an acceptable knowledge of music. A good DJ should be able to fit into any function and play music that will keep the audience happy. This is the most important, but also most overlooked problem area for DJs.

I know as I'm writing this, that there will be people who will read this and believe that the last point does not apply. Believe me, it does! No matter how well you think you know your music, chances are you don't!



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Getting Started With DJing and Buying the Right Equipment

Getting started with DJing can become a very expensive and confusing process. There is so many different makes and formats of turntables that the whole thing can become quite overwhelming.

The first thing I would recommend is that if you have never used any turntables before or done any type of DJing try and find somewhere were you can have a little play around on them and get a feel for the whole thing first. I'm pretty sure the guys in your local record store will be more than helpful.

DJing can become a very expensive past time so you do really need to be 100 % sure its something you want to take up. Having a great love for music is a must so if you don't eat sleep and breathe music then don't bother you will only be wasting your time and money.

Choosing the right set of decks is crucial if your serious about taking up DJing its defiantly worth while investing in a good set of turntables like technics or Vestax, there is an awful lot of cheaper models but they just don't perform half as good. Technics and Vestax turntables can cost anything from £400 upwards for one turntable.

So they can become to expensive depending on your budget, if you can not afford to invest the money for Technics or Vestax, other models such as Nu mark have very good starter packages for under £300 which usually consist of two decks and a mixer, what ever set of turntables you decide to purchase try and only buy a set with direct drive motors as they work a lot better then belt driven decks.






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They Say That Graffiti Can't Be Considered As Art - But They Are Wrong

I recently came across a newspaper article in which narrow minded people with a snobbish mentality seemed to deny graffiti the quality of being considered as art. As a defender of artistic expression and having quite a good knowledge of urban culture, I would like to raise my voice today in order to defend graffiti as a full part of urban culture that goes along with rap music, Djing and break dancing.

If we consider art to be the products of human creativity, then we should be aware that graffiti totally fit into that category.

Not only are graffiti an original way of artistic expression, those drawings are also the voice of the youth in the ghetto.

Narrow minded people who often live in a comfortable bubble gum world would preferably like to deny ghetto youths their own way of expressing.

Let me tell you something: if you consider Picasso's Guernica as a modern artistic expression and you praise it by any means, then you should also consider graffiti as pieces of art.

Very often, the fear of the unknown prevents many people from discovering masterpieces. If you are afraid of Chinese people, for instance, how are you supposed to discover the colorful buildings of China Town in their whole beauty?

It is not because artistic expression is different from what you are used to that it should necessarily be considered as crap. Be open minded towards the unknown, explore different cultures, learn how to appreciate the difference and the originality of a genuine style that represents a culture.

Hip hop culture might be a subculture. It is nevertheless the voice of numerous people from the underground. Try to understand instead of shutting the voice of several generations down.

People using their spray bombs won't ask you for permission while creating their picture. Their art is present de facto and there is probably nothing you can do about it if you don't like it. Those people don't have the means to pay for gallery exposure, but they want to be the representatives of a voice our governments would prompt to shut down.

Don't censor a beauty that is still unveiled in front of your eyes: open your mind and try to understand the voice of the oppressed and underprivileged. If you really make the effort to go into detail, you will be able to see the hidden beauty of a human heart's cry.

Copyright©2006 by Isabelle Esling

All Rights Reserved



My name is Isabelle Esling. I am an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist. I teach English and German at public schools.




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