Forum Criticisms & A Suggestion of a Segment

[JoeOsoDopke]

Hi everyone,
First of all, let me just say that I'm new on here, but I've been following DJTT on various media sites (i.e Youtube among others) for some time. I don't profess to be an excellent DJ, or even a DJ on par with professionals; of course, I plan on advancing my skills in this field, hence why I concluded joining this forum would be in my best interests. Let me also just have it be known, I like DJTT; I think that the blog posts are both informed and informative, easy to understand, and delve into topics other than simply "gear".

Which leads me to my point: I'm not going to beat around the bush, I think that the way the forum is laid out directs members' attention in a direction of gear being somewhat more significant than the music.
There is only one place to post mixes, mixing techniques, mixing ideas, etc. and that's under "Mixes and Production"; the rest either focus on gear, software, or general discussion. Furthermore, this section is found 2nd to the very bottom of places to post, making it seem like less of the focus.

As someone who has come from a background of music performance prior to my interest in DJ'ing, and someone who subsequently is the member of many online forums related to music, I can say that this seems to be a common problem, however not an excusable one at that. I would like to see an entire grouping of subject related places to post on DJTT devoted to sharing mixes, sharing techniques, sharing mixing advice, etc. so that I can get my knowledge on Traktor, controllers, mapping, etc. AND learn some techniques that I can practice and then employ in my DJ'ing.


Onto my second part, which I'd like to also begin with a very brief introduction: I come from the world of jazz. I played jazz guitar in a number of ensembles, along with drums in other ensembles; only one of these was sponsored by my school, and the others were ensembles I had to audition for. So, I'm going to be making a few comparisons to jazz music and jazz musicians and DJ'ing to back up my request.

I'd like to say that I think the blog has done a B Grade job (and I mean "B" in a good way) in making sure that it includes topics apart from simply the latest controller in its posts; there's an obvious knowledge conveyed that being a DJ is far more than just mixing two tracks together, and that a clear art and skill set exists. That being said, I'd still love to see more posts on techniques and such. Which brings me to my segment suggestion...

I think that there should be a segment in which DJTT would break down specific mixes by explaining them, and then recreating them (as best they can with Traktor, Serato, or whatever.) I think that this is particularly good idea, considering that one learns through imitation on any musical instrument, and I certainly count DJ controllers as instruments and the act of DJ'ing as musical performance, regardless of what anyone says otherwise, who claim that DJ'ing is simply pushing buttons.

Musicians growing up will learn to play their favorite songs on their instrument, and as a result, learn new techniques facilitating a deeper ability to be expressive; For example, the greatest Jazz musicians in the world have learned COUNTLESS numbers of solos from jazz legends, which consequently taught these musicians vocabulary, among other priceless lessons. That being said, there is an INCREDIBLE number of resources (books in days past, and today, blogs, videos, hell there's a college degree you can attain in jazz performance) for jazz musicians to learn solo techniques, music theory as applied to them, etc. Another significant facet to great Jazz musicians, is, as mentioned in the beginning of this paragraph, they learn solos from the masters. They do this through transcribing the music onto sheet music, and then accompanying this with a reference recording; some of these musicians don't even transcribe, and simply memorize by ear. This is all an effort towards becoming a better jazz musician as a whole, and so that in the heat of the moment of an improvised solo, a jazz musician can successfully express the musical ideas they hear in their heads.

Now, comparing this to DJ'ing, there are a surprising number of similarities in the processes of becoming more fluent in one's craft. For example, arguably, one of the best ways of learning mixing techniques, is through imitating a master at it. And of course, being able to have your mix sound like their's takes a considerable amount of effort, however, the practice is undeniably beneficial. Furthermore, assuming that you as a DJ are not simply clicking the play button on a pre-made set and that you are interacting with the crowd, paying attention to how they're reacting, and playing songs and ideas accordingly, you are essentially improvising, which is exactly what jazz musicians do. Of course, the two modes of expression are obviously different, I honesty believe that they can be taught in much the same way.

I feel if DJTT were to launch such a segment or program as the one I am suggesting, it could not only be helpful to DJ's eager to learn, but also push DJTT in a direction more aimed at the music and furthermore, give DJTT even more exposure and respect online and in the DJ community as a whole; this is among other benefits which would be apparent as the program would launch.

Thank you for reading this post, and I eagerly await a response.

[Patch]

Mate - if you'd JUST made comments comments comparing DJ'ing to Jazz, you'd have my attention... I've often thought about those similarities, and how great a learning tool it would be if there were "DJ Standards" (routines/transitions, etc...), like there are Jazz standards.

But - your first couple of paragraphs just make me switch off...

But DJTT should probably take note o your Jazz comparison/jazz standard comments.

[akiem]

It is annoying having to post five initial posts before they will show up.