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This page: Hand-to-Hand Combat: Scratching 101
'A lot of what sounds like an LP being moved back and forth rapidly on hip-hop records is actually the sound of the crossfader being dexterously clicked open and shut at unbelievable speeds.'
Hand-to-Hand Combat: Scratching 101
Let's get one myth out of the way: Scratching as it's done by today's turntablist does not instantly ruin a record. It’s true that, over time, repeated scratches done on the same area of vinyl will result in what's known as a "Q-Burn," where the groove's been worn down so low that all it can produce is an annoying hiss. Why doesn't scratching destroy the record? Well, ideally it's because the stylus (the needle, or the point of the cartridge that actually makes contact with the record) stays in the groove while the scratcher moves the LP back and forth. If it jumps out of the groove it makes a hideous popping noise -- avoiding this takes a lot of practice.
Some of the most innovative scratch DJs of all time, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz endorse and help design Vestax DJ gear.
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Another myth is that scratching is a process of constantly stopping and starting the turntable. Although there are cases where a scratcher will want to stop the platter from moving, it generally continues to move even while the LP itself is being scratched. This is facilitated by the presence of a slipmat, a piece of round, slippery fabric placed between the turntable's moving platter and the LP, which reduces friction to almost zero. In the best case scenario, the platter's speed doesn't change at all, while the DJ reverses, pushes, or shakes the record back and forth at rapid speeds.
Most DJs seem to favor the middle finger, in conjunction with the first and third, to control the record’s movement when scratching. They use the flat, fleshy upper joint of the fingers to finesse the LP, as if gingerly waxing a car. There are three ways to move the record forward: the push, a quick forward motion; the drag, a slower, heavier motion; and the release, which lets the turntable's motor do the work. You can also drag or pull the record backward, or while keeping your arm still, shudder your fingers back and forth rapidly to create a whirring sound, known as the Scribble or Tip scratch. Many scratches, such as the "Tear" scratch, are a combination of forward-backward-backward and similar motion combinations. Of course, working the record -- rocking the groove -- is only half the battle, and I'd argue it's the easy half.
Numark's Pro TT-2 turntable ($579.99) is a new contender to the Technics 1200's crown and is definitely scratch-friendly.
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The real challenge is to coordinate the movement of the record with the shuttling of the crossfader on the mixer so that you only hear the scratches -- also called "cuts" -- you want to hear. On the most basic level, that would mean leaving the fader open for a forward scratch, then, as you drag the record back to perform the same forward scratch again, pulling the fader out, so that you don't hear the backwards scratch. A lot of what sounds like the LP being moved back and forth rapidly on hip-hop records is actually the sound of the crossfader being dexterously clicked open and shut at unbelievable speeds, also known as "transforming." In many cases, the thumb, positioned on the right side of the fader, acts only as a kind of ballast for the fingers on the other side of the fader, which alternate in pushing the fader back and forth. Some mixers have a Punch-In button, a kind of glorified mute button, which allows for very rapid, staccato transforms.
Scratching is difficult and takes dedicated practice, even though champion scratchers like Mixmaster Mike, Kid Koala, and DJ Craze make it look incredibly easy. You may want to start out with a Baby scratch (rocking the record back and forth while leaving the fader open) or a simple Chirp (pulling the fader out a split second after executing a forward scratch). More advanced moves, such as the Twiddle and DJ QBert’s Crrabb, involve very rapid fader action, with as many as four clicks of the fader over a single forward push. Your best bet is to buy a video of a live DJ battle -- there are several on the market -- or just listen to records by the masters and experiment at home. You can also find excellent scratch tutorials at Turntablism.com and in the British magazine XFade (changing name to iDJ).
As with guitar, the challenge is in getting both hands to work together. It's also important to maintain a very light touch on the record, and think about keeping it within its plane -- you're not pushing down or out, but working laterally with the natural gravity of the record around the center pin. Most scratchers position their fingers more or less opposite the stylus, which helps it stay in the groove.
While just about any piece of vinyl can be used to scratch, traditional scratch effects are easiest to produce if you start with very loud, percussive, or blaring source material. Vocal records, from comedy albums to the vocals-only B-sides of many pop 12" records, are also fun to play with, as are ambient records and anything where textures -- rather than grooves -- dominate. But use your imagination. While it's cool to master some of the rudiments of the art, avoid getting too caught up in doing someone else's thing; you could miss out on a scratching technique all your own.
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