How many hours should a beginning DJ practice?
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default How many hours should a beginning DJ practice?

    So ive been djing for about 2 months now, and im becoming more and more serious about it. So how long should i practice a day? or a week? until i get bored or what? how many hours should i mix to get better? ALSO i find myself getting very bored when putting cue points on almost all of my songs i mix, is this supposed to be not fun? becuase i know it needs to be done to make amazing mixes.

  2. #2
    Tech Guru lethal_pizzle's Avatar
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    They say it takes 10,000 hours practice to become an expert at something
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  3. #3
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    how long is a piece of string?

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor NathanWard's Avatar
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    I mix for around 30 minutes a day. A bit of that is trying new stuff, mucking around with cue juggling and stuff. I spend around 3 hours listening to music, and during that I'll sort of mix in my head.

    Weekends I'll try and get a 1 hour+ mix done, and then listen to it to see where I went wrong.

    Setting cue points is alright for me, as I do it while I'm listening to the tracks, and I have predetermined places for them normally.

    So just mix whenever you can, if you find yourself getting bored maybe DJing isn't for you.
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    DJTT Administrator del Ritmo padi_04's Avatar
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    You are thinking too much, just go along and enjoy yourself.

  6. #6
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  7. #7
    DJTT Moderator Dude Jester's Avatar
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    instead of watching mind numbing, spirit crushing gameshows on television, mix
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  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by oliosky View Post
    how long is a piece of string?
    That, added to the time a cannon takes to cool down, the whole lot being divided by the age of the captain.

    I know of some who have been at it for years yet still can't mix instant coffee despite having top of the range equipment. A friend of mine never grasped the concept of beatmatching, I have seen a lot in the same case...

    Someone on these boards is the perfect example of that, he's called German, or Batty or something. Can't really remember but his 2001 odyssey mix was unspectacular to say the list

    I still have 2hours+ sessions many times a week aside from gigs. While I consider my technique excellent, I still have to learn incoming new tracks. From my experience: learn your music, and the rest follows

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Manu View Post
    That, added to the time a cannon takes to cool down, the whole lot being divided by the age of the captain.

    I know of some who have been at it for years yet still can't mix instant coffee despite having top of the range equipment. A friend of mine never grasped the concept of beatmatching, I have seen a lot in the same case...

    Someone on these boards is the perfect example of that, he's called German, or Batty or something. Can't really remember but his 2001 odyssey mix was unspectacular to say the list

    I still have 2hours+ sessions many times a week aside from gigs. While I consider my technique excellent, I still have to learn incoming new tracks. From my experience: learn your music, and the rest follows
    Greetings all, long time lurker here. Agree with the above. It's interesting reading forums such as DJTT/NI etc, I've noticed quite a few differing questions but all have a similar theme of concern in the DJing minutiae (what kit, mixing, beatmatching, general DJing techniques, should I be doing this, what to play etc) and losing sight of actually getting stuck in and practising, listening back, getting clued up on tunage, developing your 'style'.

    This isn't a criticism at all and not aimed at the OP, just a general observation. I wonder if it's down to the advent of digital DJing, with all the advances in tech and capabilities of it. Not wishing to sound like a dinosaur but when it was the case of 2x 1210's, a mixer and a pile of vinyl, it was simple, you started as a newbie, you learned to beatmatch, grasped song structure and phrasing, track key, scratching, recorded mixes, listened to other mix tapes, get to know your local record emporium, meet other DJ's/club promoters. Many of these core skills are still the cornerstone now but there seems to be a rush now to be knocking out spectacular mixes with all manner of fx and button mashing.

    IMHO, worry less about the detail, more about the learning and practising and enjoy it.
    20+ years man & boy, working the platters that matter. D3EP DJ.

  10. #10
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    Dont spend your'e time just practising.
    That crave digging time is imo even more important.
    DigitalDj-s probably think its all about the practice and how could you mix. When you got the right music then you have already got it 65% right.
    Just spend more time with your music and practice as much as possible.
    Last edited by vanaema78; 02-08-2012 at 06:51 AM.

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