Qns for Scratching: Advice on Crossfader hand

DJ Gear & Hardware CDJ & Vinyl DJing
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Qns for Scratching: Advice on Crossfader hand

Hi guys,

Was wondering whether its advisable to have your crossfader hand resting on the faceplate of the mixer while scratching?

Or is it better to have it floating above the crossfader?

Hoping to cut a habit in the early stages if it will be detrimental in the future. Or which do you guys use?

Thanks!

2

Depends on how you scratch. Some scratches are bloody hard when you rest your hand on the faceplate.

I know - 'cos it’s a habit I have!

If I could choose, though, I’d choose to be able to NOT rest my hand/fingers on the faceplate.

3

No!

Yeah!

It definitely will be.

4

I do both… IMO it doesn’t matter nor is it a bad habit. I use it for timing and muscle memory while learning scratches BEFORE I start cranking up the speed… With speed I would not advise it bc it will slow you down

5

I never thought of it like that…

For me, I’ve got into the habit of resting my hand on the face plate, and most of my cuts come from wrist movements. But looking at guys that can cut, and I mean REALLY cut fast, they seem to use more short, quick finger and thumb movements to get the on/off action on the fader…

Check out Q-Berts thumb and index-finger when he scratches.

6

I always float my hand. I use the “salsa-approved” method.

7

Don’t rest your hand on the faceplate… there’s a good chance it will lead to lazy technique, or it will limit your speed later on down the line. I wouldn’t say that there’s no situation where you’d wanna rest your hand but, especially if you’re beginning, it’s likely the the times you feel like you wanna rest your hand are not the times that it’s going to help out.

If you pay attention to my fader hand in this vid you’ll see that my hand is virtually never in a resting position except for a few seconds when I plant my ring finger, and when I do beat cuts with the upfader. Generally the only times I rest my fader hand are when I’m only doing single clicks at a relatively slow pace. I still haven’t found a time for myself that I think resting is actually advantageous, these are just the times that I notice I do it unconsciously.

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Thanks alot Vekked! I’ll try to nip this habit early on. Tight routine btw!

May I ask whats the combination at 1.39 after the drop and drag? to 1.42 really like it!

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thanks man! just a freestyle there tho, not a routine really… the intro part was the only planned bit. I’m not really sure about 1:39, it’s not really a single scratch or named combo anything… I did reverse drag into a couple transforms into a 1 click flare where the first half is a drag and I release at the click, into another reverse drag, a couple transforms, and a fast wave. I think that’s about the best I can break it down in text for that part since it’s mainly simple scratches it’s just the rhythm and pitching that makes it sound unique I think. Always be conscious of pitching your scratches and not just doing them always at the same pitch… pitch control can take a single scratch and give you 50 more variations.