how do you "practice" your skills

[moss2626]

Try new stuff . whether it's scratching , beat juggling ... Don't be scared to make an error . When your home it doesn't matter and you'll learn from it . Try new styles of music .

Look at laidback luke , he's an edm dj and he uses scratching techniques to enhance his sets.

What i personally do is try all the effects in traktor , juggle with cue points , scratch , use loops ...

[Nesquigs]

yeah, get experimental, start mixing in 4 decks, throw loops, worse thing that happens is you miss a transition in your basement. no harm no foul.

but you get WAY better by fucking up then trying again and seeing what you did wrong, then next time you try it when your on the fly, you wont (or not as bad) :P

[brian_johnstone]

4. The BEST practice ever is real life gigs.

this... i find it really hard to get in the swing of things at home, so at home just learn my music and practice and experiment while im playing out

[DJ_Pabloco]

experiment with literally everything.... scrathing.. beatjuggling... effects combos.... you name it. I go at it for 12 hours straight. doesnt really matter tho..... no can hear it but u so its okay to mess up

[CryderSteez]

this... i find it really hard to get in the swing of things at home, so at home just learn my music and practice and experiment while im playing out

Its the opposite for me, I can pull off ridiculous stunts at home where its my equipment, controlled environment, etc. but those same fancy 4 deck live remixes and monster effect stackups rarely happen the way I want them to in the chaos of an average club. It sounds goofy but I try to mix as much as I can when I've been drinking, a healthy buzz at home seems to simulate playing out sober for me haha...

[Nesquigs]

It sounds goofy but I try to mix as much as I can when I've been drinking, a healthy buzz at home seems to simulate playing out sober for me haha...

I do it so I'm used to mixing while drinking. Problem is that I typically find it harder to get into a groove now unless I'm under the influence of something.

[Era 7]

best way for me is just recording my mixes and improve on what i didn't like when listening back to it.

[J5k]

I came up with an interesting practice routine that I've meant to post for a long time. I guess this is probably a good spot for it.

I start with a scratch record on deck a and an instrumental on deck b. I practice a given scratch on deck a (my dominant scratching hand) while the instrumental plays on deck b. once deck b (the instrumental) is close to running out, I load a different instrumental on deck a, beatmatch it and mix it in.

I then load a scratch record on deck b and practice the same scratch with my other hand. Rinse and repeat.

There are some variations to throw in, like loading the same instrumental on both decks and practice juggling for a while.

[Bl4ck3n3D]

I do it so I'm used to mixing while drinking. Problem is that I typically find it harder to get into a groove now unless I'm under the influence of something.

That's not good... music should intoxicate you. Don't get into the habit of always being under the influence to DJ... it could become self-destructive.

[DjEryx]

1. Listen to podcasts, watch vids online
2. Go watch people live
3. Practice and record yourself and listen to your mixes*
4. The BEST practice ever is real life gigs.

Along with what haze said, I find the best way for me personally to practice is to just do sets in my bedroom as often as I can. I try to do at least one set that's over 1 hour per week.

DJing is a creative art, and while you're mixing you'll come up with some amazing ideas of what songs to bring in, when to bring it in, and the best way to pull it off. I always hit record before I ever start mixing. That way I always have a reference point if I make a mix that I love. Every time I go back and listen to a mix I've recorded I've found ways that I could have done certain mixes better.

It's always important to learn from your mistakes, and the more you do this the better you will get.