Is Dj:ing an never ending learning process like guitaring?
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default Is Dj:ing an never ending learning process like guitaring?

    Hi guys.

    Its funny when talking to musicians from different gendres like punk or heavy metal, you some times end up hearing some super strange comments about Djing. One of the main slogans I have encountered is "Well its just playing with buttons and raping some classic songs" OR "Well they are Djis because they cant play any instruments"

    I was suprised to hear these comments escpecially because I my self have been playing guitar for 10 years now and though Dj:ing happens to be my main focus, I still respect other gendres like punk even though it might be some easy power chords back and foward

    Anyways when going deep to their thoughts I think most of the classic musicians really think that you can master djing in few years while guitaring takes you whole life time. I have to agree with the guitar part... The more you learn about it, the more you know that you have to learn about it! Its madness!

    What do you guys think about Djing? I have been doing this for 2 years now but I still find something new and exciting . I would rally like to hear comments for those who have been doing this for many years now. Thanx!

  2. #2
    DJTT Moderator bloke Karlos Santos's Avatar
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    I started with guitar when i was 12 and DJing at 15.
    I only got really into DJing when i left a band and could not face being in another (bands can have that affect on you) so yeah i agree with all you say.

    Musicians can be close minded pricks a lot of the time, so can DJs to be honest.

    You will never stop learning.
    I think being a guitarist was a great help when i started to get serious with DJing as the musical background was a great help (not reading music but song structure, reading rhythms) . To be honest i picked up beatmatching really quickly.

    After years of DJing and very little guitar playing im just getting back into guitar.
    I may even play in a band again?

    Its all a MASSIVE learning curve.

    The day you think theres nothing left to learn is the day that you have lost the connection with what you do...

  3. #3
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    short answer

    yes
    Baked Chicken | Brown Rice | Asparagus | Apple Juice | Snack Wells | Pretzel Chips | Lots of Water

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karlos Santos View Post
    I started with guitar when i was 12 and DJing at 15.
    I only got really into DJing when i left a band and could not face being in another (bands can have that affect on you) so yeah i agree with all you say.

    Musicians can be close minded pricks a lot of the time, so can DJs to be honest.

    You will never stop learning.
    I think being a guitarist was a great help when i started to get serious with DJing as the musical background was a great help (not reading music but song structure, reading rhythms) . To be honest i picked up beatmatching really quickly.

    After years of DJing and very little guitar playing im just getting back into guitar.
    I may even play in a band again?

    Its all a MASSIVE learning curve.

    The day you think theres nothing left to learn is the day that you have lost the connection with what you do...

    Hi Carlos. Its funny you mentioned about the fact that after a band that didnt work out so well, It sure is hard to get back to a group of people and start creating music by mostly compromising and searching the right sound(some members were into pop, some to death). It was a nightmare in my case! Thats the reason I left and started Djing, now producing electronig tunes.

  5. #5
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    I've been DJing for 24 years and I haven't found a win button yet.

  6. #6
    Tech Guru Coldfuzion's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nem0nic View Post
    I've been DJing for 24 years and I haven't found a win button yet.
    That's pretty much the best response ever!

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clem Caan View Post
    The more you learn about it, the more you know that you have to learn about it! Its madness!
    "They" say that is takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something....sometimes they say it takes 10 years. Either way, there is an enormous amount of information to e learned, skills to be mastered, and point of view to be developed...that go into DJing, or guitar playing, or brick laying, or painting, or running a professional kitchen, or flying an airplane, or doing surgery, etc, ad nasium.

    For another point of view, look at the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition.

    [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_model_of_skill_acquisition"]Dreyfus model of skill acquisition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Nuvola_apps_bookcase.svg" class="image"><img alt="Stub icon" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Nuvola_apps_bookcase.svg/30px-Nuvola_apps_bookcase.svg.png"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/a/a5/Nuvola_apps_bookcase.svg/30px-Nuvola_apps_bookcase.svg.png[/ame]

    Most of us have a lot of skills that are at various levels of maturity on that model...cooking, riding a bike, auto repair, roller blading, dog training, gardening, and so on. The vast majority of these kinds of skills will never advance beyond the "novice" or "advanced beginner" stage.

    Also, "DJing" is not a single skill, or even a universally accepted set of skills. For instance, I an "proficient" at producing mashups and beatmixing. I do not scratch at all. I am learning about controllerism, but have not (yet) reached the "competent" stage in that skill.

  8. #8
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    sure.

    but i would compare djing more to a craft like cooking, or fashion/interior design.

    the art is in how we combine elements that more often than not are created by others, which typically isn't the case if you look at who is historically recognized as great guitarists.

    turntablism is a bit of a different beast though, i think you could definitely compare that to any other instrument playing.

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor Ryan Leo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karlos Santos View Post
    I started with guitar when i was 12 and DJing at 15.
    I only got really into DJing when i left a band and could not face being in another (bands can have that affect on you) so yeah i agree with all you say.

    Musicians can be close minded pricks a lot of the time, so can DJs to be honest.

    I played in a band for about 5 years on the bass guitar. I started partying and whatever else and my mind started to open up and the more I was opened, the more restrictions I see in playing in a band. 2 or 3 months later I decided to start mixing.

    I was pretty big into tool and one of the things that I really liked was the repetitive nature of there phrases. Sort of like a trance or mediation.

    My biggest problem with playing in a band was I hated the stops in between the songs and some songs didn't have a solid enough beat to dance on. Other people messing up always sucked too cause if you practised your ass off and someone else makes a mistake, its till you who suffers from it.

    I was introduced to "DJing". Loops, dancing for 12 hours straight and all the fault upon myself. Everyone loving live. Its fucking beautiful.

    I think if you want to compare "djing" to guitar playing, you need to first isolate the specfic skills in "djing" that you can compare to guitar playing.

    Some things are similar such as phrasing, counting, harmonic mixing, effects, moods.

    Some things are different. Tuning, learning scales and chords vs Beatmatching and learning songs.

    thats enough bullshit from me. haha

  10. #10
    Tech Guru exokinetic's Avatar
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    Just like an artist, we as a DJ are combining different sounds to create something new with a feel that is specific to you as a DJ.


    Weather you only have th keys on your saxophone to work with, or you have every track every produced, how you put them together is your distinctive artistic en devour.

    And to put it simply.

    Absolutely, DJing is a never ending learning process, with ought a doubt.

    And to treat it as anything less is folly.

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