too many questions….

I think it works both ways.
While I had to learn a lot of stuff the hard way myself (I started around 93′) and turntables were not the easiest to tame that day, I prolly would not have been able to switch to digital so easy without the tips I found here and elsewhere (and I have been using CDJs for quite some time already).

Todays landscape has changed and even those that “get told” will at some point divide into the 2 major crowds:
1. The follower: They will always look for input from others any copy them
2. The innovator: They might have been told in the beginning, but through experimentation they move on and define their own style.

Both have existed also in 93′ when I started, it was only much more effort to copy stuff, as you had to go to clubs, watch the DJs there, get a mentor etc. etc. etc. and things today are much easier, with digital and with the internet.

But what it comes down to is still the same:
Without being an innovator, you will not get noticed beyond a certain border.
Without a passion and love for music you will never create something special in your mixes.
The experience that follows is a crowd that will go mental on the dancefloor and that special looks you will get for creating a moment of magic…. priceless and nobody can be told how to achieve it, as IT IS magic.

Back in 1992 I had a local DJ show me how to do things properly.

Everyone needs help, and I’m glad I can give it.

Yeah i think most of us would have a foot in both camps, i also started in the mid-90’s (horrendous Citronic Belt-Drive decks with a mind of their own tempo-wise!) and probably like most of us here i spent months and months train-wrecking before finally starting to grasp certain techniques that worked, (counting bars, dropping the first beat at the start of the bar etc etc blah blah 🙂 ) and i pretty much did it all with no outside help, but that said, its a totally different world now and if people want to ask for help the internets the place to do it, and it can probably get people mixing and playing out in much less time (again, not always a good thing, haha), but i do agree with the OP in that some of the questions being asked just seem SO basic, with so little understanding of the music itself, that IMO some people just ‘want to be DJ’s’, rather than getting into it because you just cant get enough of the music, which should really be the only reason you get into the whole thing!

I’m probably coming across as a bit of a purist, which i’m honestly not, use the tools at hand to get better by all means, but dont just ask people basically ‘how do i DJ?!!!!!!!’ Practice for hours coz ya love it!

Beedle, post: 26055, member: 651 wrote: Yeah i think most of us would have a foot in both camps, i also started in the mid-90’s (horrendous Citronic Belt-Drive decks with a mind of their own tempo-wise!) and probably like most of us here i spent months and months train-wrecking before finally starting to grasp certain techniques that worked, (counting bars, dropping the first beat at the start of the bar etc etc blah blah 🙂 ) and i pretty much did it all with no outside help, but that said, its a totally different world now and if people want to ask for help the internets the place to do it, and it can probably get people mixing and playing out in much less time (again, not always a good thing, haha), but i do agree with the OP in that some of the questions being asked just seem SO basic, with so little understanding of the music itself, that IMO some people just ‘want to be DJ’s’, rather than getting into it because you just cant get enough of the music, which should really be the only reason you get into the whole thing!

I’m probably coming across as a bit of a purist, which i’m honestly not, use the tools at hand to get better by all means, but dont just ask people basically ‘how do i DJ?!!!!!!!’ Practice for hours coz ya love it!

Well put, agree def. I similarly remember starting out on Soundlab Belt drive TT’s and it was only when I saw a mate a few months later that it finally clicked. I’d already grasped the phrasing of dance music and mixing in general from listening to mixtapes, but the actual transition from hearing to doing was the bit I struggled with. I recall it being a revelation when it happened! 🙂

I had a seriously awful set of belt drive decks about 12 years ago and no one else I knew DJ’d. Without any help and not many resources on the internet I eventually gave up. I practiced for hours a day because I loved the music but didn’t have a clue about bpms so never figured why I couldn’t get things in time. I was mixing garage which ranges from around 128 – 150 so I had no hope really! I bought a Novation twitch recently as I was so keen to get back into it again due to a love of the music, and through a combination of reading up on techniques and trying things for myself have now got myself gigs booked in big clubs. I think it’s important to be able to learn basics from other people but also essential to take risks and try things for yourself.

People who paint still take art classes and evolve their own style, even after being taught and tutored.

Hmmm I see this problem ALL the time as a design teacher. Students immediately turn to Google to get their ideas, instead of thinking up their own. The instant ability to find answers is great for technical things, but it definitely is a powerful force against coming up with your own ideas.