SoS User Guide & Learning Pathways
Before you start diving into the content, it’s a good idea to have an overview and plan of how to approach learning to get the most from the course material and your subscription.
We have some recommended learning pathways for beginner, intermediate and advanced students. Check it out!
Scratch History – Essential Viewing
Before you dive into the lessons and course, I highly recommend watching the 2001 documentary “Scratch” by Doug Pray which …
How To Use SoS & Practice
Before you start learning here, it is worth understanding how you can start to work your way through the School …
Practice Cheat Sheet
Welcome to the Ultimate Practice Cheat Sheet for you to work through deliberately. Practice Cheat Sheet I am in the …
Your First 20 Hours
This guide will walk you through your first 20 hours of (focused, deliberate) learning, which studies show is enough to …
Intermediate
This is the recommended pathway for those of you who already have some experience scratching and can comfortably do everything …
The Trifecta of Scratching / Learning
In this post I break down scratching into a model of learning I have created to help you understand and progress …
Deliberate Practice
In this article, I take you through how you can improve your scratching by utilising a technique known simply as deliberate practice. It’s …
How To Get Really Good At Scratching?
Many people ask me how they can get really good at scratching. Some DJs might promise a secret in the form …
The Hard Work of Scratching
Whilst I enjoy teaching you scratch techniques, I also love to encourage you with the mindset you need to approach learning. It …
Speed Booster Training
The Speed Booster download features two audio tracks which start off at an 80 bpm tempo and increase by 1 …
Slow Down to Speed Up
When training to increase speed, I often & usually advice DJs to slow down. Go back to basics. Perform the …
Studio Scratches Archives
Besides all of the content inside the School, there are a vast amount of articles over on the Studio Scratches site …
In and Out Scratch Practice Tool
This visual tool will help you start linking scratches together. Step 1 Select your starting base scratch from this dropdown: …
100 Days of Practice – Level 1
Welcome to the 100 Days of Practice Project / Challenge. You can start this 100 Days of Practice Challenge anytime …
100 Days of Practice – Level 2
Level 2 is coming soon for those who have completed the first 100 days! The focus will be on: Joe …
100 Days of Practice – Level 3
Level 3 is coming soon for those who have completed Levels 1 and 2! The focus will be on: Boomerang …
100 Days of Scratching Challenge
For those of you who want to take part in the School of Scratch official 100 Days of Scratching Project, …
Course 1 – Equipment Needed
Scratch DJ Equipment Buyers Guide
A Comprehensive Guide to Buying Your First Scratch DJ Equipment Setup. This is the result of many people asking my ...
Turntables
A high quality turntable is the first piece of gear you need for scratching. It needs to have a Direct ...
Cartridge & Stylus
The cartridge and stylus are the part that pick up the signal from the record and translate it into sound ...
Mixer
The mixer is the second major part of a Scratch DJ setup. Whilst your first hand is on the record, ...
Slipmats
Slipmats let you move the record backwards and forwards at speed while the turntable platter continues to rotate underneath. Slipmats may ...
Scratch Vinyl
A scratch DJ needs some samples to scratch with. This is where scratch vinyl / battle tools come in. Scratch ...
Instrumentals
Instrumental beats are what we scratch to and a good beat can inspire your scratching flow. You can scratch over ...
DVS
DVS stands for Digital Vinyl System. It allows you to play and scratch with any mp3 sound you like that ...
Digital Scratch Records / Samples
Digital scratch samples are mp3s or wavs you can scratch with using a DVS such as Serato or Traktor. Here are ...
Amp / Headphones / Speakers
You need to plug your mixer into something so you can hear your scratch sounds. I show you what I ...
Course 2 – Equipment Set Up
Setup / Plugging In
This might seem pretty simple but I'll give you a quick overview anyway for those that wanna know! Next Video: ...
Tone Arm Adjustment For Skip Free Needles
How you set up your tone arm and needles can drastically affect whether your records skip or not. Here's the ...
Record Hole Adjustment
Another factor that can affect skipping is if your record hole is too loose. Here's what to do to fix ...
Finding Samples and Marking Records
Here's how to find samples and mark up your records. Using a visual marker on your vinyl when scratching definitely makes it easier ...
How to EQ Your Records
EQing your records will make your scratches sound better and more pleasing to the ears. Here's how you do it and ...
Table Height
An often overlooked area is table height. This is super important in order to make scratching mechanically as easy and ...
Crossfader Settings
In order to create sharp, clean sounds when scratching, our crossfader needs to be setup / adjusted for best results ...
Controller Settings
How to setup your controller for scratching. This is a generic guide that applies to most controllers. The main settings ...
Serato DJ Settings
How to setup your Serato DJ software for scratching. The main settings to look for are: Keylock Make sure keylock ...
Course 3 – Before you Start Scratching
Which Hand Should I Use On The Crossfader?
Before you start scratching, you need to decide which hand to use on the record and which hand to use ...
Hamster / Reverse vs Regular Crossfader
There are two different methods or styles of using the crossfader for scratching. The first style is “regular” which you ...
How to Learn From a Hamster / Reverse Crossfader Style Scratch DJ If You Scratch Regular
What's up with that Hamster Style?! One of the most common comments I receive from DJs who watch my scratch tutorials and DJcity ...
Crossfader Technique
I cover the basics of how to hold the crossfader in the Forward Scratch Tutorial. I highly recommend the wrist and ...
Scratch Notation
The purpose of notating scratching is firstly to help learn new scratches, but also to help you remember scratches and ...
Learn How to Count
Before we get hands on and start learning some techniques in the next lesson, I recommend learning how to count ...
Course 4 – Scratch Techniques
Baby Scratch
The scratch that started it all! Do not be fooled by the name, the baby scratch is the easiest scratch ...
Drops
The drop or release is the second fundamental technique we need to learn before we start using the crossfader. It ...
Forward Scratch
The forward scratch is the first scratch where we combine using the cross fader at the same time as using ...
Reverse Scratch
The reverse scratch is the second scratch where we combine using the cross fader at the same time as using ...
Stab Scratch
The Stab scratch is another fundamental scratch technique that is essential to clean cuts. Practice this until you can do ...
Transformer Scratch
The Transformer scratch is named so because it sounds like a cartoon transformer transforming. This scratch is attained by playing ...
Chirp Scratch
The Chirp scratch is the first open fader scratch we learn. A simple but extremely versatile scratch that is worth taking ...
Flare Scratch
The Flare scratch is the first full open fader scratch we learn. It's a different concept to the other scratches, so ...
Crab Scratch
The Crab scratch is a fader hand technique that can be combined with pretty much any record movement you want ...
Slice
The Slice is a fundamental technique that forms the basis for many combos such as See Saws, Boomerangs and the Autobahn ...
Tear
The Tear is a faderless technique which will help you to develop your record hand control and expression. It also forms the basis ...
Dice
The Dice builds on the tear scratch - adding transform style fader clicks to clean up the sound. Also known ...
2 Click Flare
The 2 Click Flare uses the open fader principle that we used in the 1 click flare, this time using 2 ...
Twiddle (2 Finger Crab)
The Twiddle is a fader hand technique you can use to create fast 2 click flares. It is basically a ...
3 Click Flare
The 3 Click Flare uses the open fader principle that we used in the 1 & 2 click flare, this time using ...
Delayed 3 Click Flare
The Delayed 3 Click Flare uses the 3 Click Flare, but starts off in a delayed position, making it feel like a closed ...
Original Flare
The original flare is slightly different to all the other flares we have learnt. It uses 2 clicks to make ...
Echo Scratch (Upfader Technique)
The Echo Scratch is an upfader technique which mimics a delay or reverb effect. use it in your DJ sets ...
Fades / Fading
An upfader technique which fades out the sound made from your record hand. Video Notes: 00:00 - Intro. 00:50 - Technique Breakdown. 01:43 - Forward ...
Drags
Drags emulate the record slowing down, using record hand control, and can be performed forward and in reverse. Try using them at ...
TranSlice (Transformer Slice)
Simply a slice with an extra click on the reverse or forward motions. You can also add multiple clicks if ...
Regular Fader Techniques Demo
A rough and ready demo of the basic scratch techniques using the fader in regular. I'm not amazing at regular, but ...
Whips
Whips create a super cool "doo-whip" sound and make your cuts more expressive. It's all about the record hand control ...
Short-E Special Scratch
I became known by a few people for doing this scratch. It kinda became one of my signature scratches. True ...
Hydroplane
This is a faderless skratch. Pull the record back whilst dragging / rubbing your fader hand finger over on the surface ...
Pushes
Pushing the record lightly whilst already in motion creates a great contrasting sound to a normal forward or release. Full ...
Crescent Flare
A 3 click, 4 sound technique. Micro Class Volume Boosted Version: Original Version: You can think of this in the ...
Prizm
A 6-note scratch combo which can be performed as triplets or as regular timed 8th / 16th / 32nd notes ...
Hydrophonics
This is a faderless skratch. A one handed hydroplane, rubbing the thumb over on the surface of the record so that ...
Scratch Combo of the Month
Scratch Combo #4
A whippy combo which uses a bunch of flares! Crab forward Reverse Whip (2 Sounds), split …
Scratch Combo #5
A funky swing flare combo for you to play with. Part 1: Swing Flare (slice, forward …
Scratch Combo #6
Use 3 mostly simple techniques to create something fresh and new! Instructions Part 1a whip …
Scratch Combo #8
Ready for another combo? This one uses swing flares and stabs. Instructions Swing flare – 4 …
DJcity Scratch Combo #10
Combine some transforms and a swing flare. This is quite fast so start slow and …
DJcity Scratch Combo #11
A boomerang, one click flare, reverse crab and drag combo. Instructions 1 boomerang – 6 …
DJcity Scratch Combo #12
Combine a forward scratch, reverse transforms, dices, swing flare and a stab to create this …
DJcity Scratch Combo #13
Combine a crab, 1 click flare and some transforms to create this funky syncopated combo …
DJcity Scratch Combo #14
Combine Forwards, Transforms, Reverse and sandwich a Boomerang in the middle to create this bouncy combo …
DJcity Scratch Combo #15
Combine a swing flare, 1 click flare and some forwards to create this funky syncopated …
DJcity Scratch Combo #16
Combine the first 5 sounds of the boomerang with a second sample to create a swinging …
DJcity Scratch Combo #17
Combine a baby with transforms, slices, dices and a drag. DJcity official release date: December …
DJcity Scratch Combo #18
A 2 click flare twiddle over a 2 part vocal creates some scratch magic. Inspired …
DJcity Scratch Combo #19
A Slice, 2 transforms forward, reverse crab and flare combo. Official DJcity release date: February 2017 …
DJcity Scratch Combo #20
Combine a reverse crab and flares to create this swinging combo. Official DJcity release date: …
DJcity Scratch Combo #21
Combine a slice and transforms to create a stuttering combo. Official DJcity release date: April 2017 …
DJcity Scratch Combo #22
Combine a military with a swing flare / boomerang. Official DJcity release date: May 2017. Breakdown Part …
DJcity Scratch Combo #23
Delayed flare styles! Official DJcity release date: June 2017. Breakdown Part 1 Reverse Slice Forward Dice …
DJcity Scratch Combo #24
Forward, reverse, crab combo. Official DJcity release date: July 2017. The last ever episode in this …
Course 6 – Scratch & Music Theory
Counting Beats & Bars
Learn how to count beats and bars to help you with your QnA sessions, rhythm and timing. Video Notes: 00:00 ...
Beats, Note Lengths & Timing
Here are the basic note length breakdowns and how to count them. Experiment to see if you can do scratches ...
Triplets
Learn how to count triplets and make your scratches funky by using this rhythm. Overview See the chirp flare tutorial for ...
How to Develop Your Scratch Flow
Once you can perform a few scratch techniques, you will want to start using and combining them to express yourself in ...
Syncopation
Syncopation is a musical rhythm in which stress is given to the weak beats instead of the strong beats. These are be known ...
Syncopation In Action
Learn how to start syncopating your scratches to create funky rhythms and fresh new patterns. Video Timestamps 00:00 – Intro. 00:34 ...
Swing
Adding swing timing to you scratches will really make things groovy! Video Timestamps 00:00 – Intro. 00:32 – Breakdown. 00:42 – 8th ...
Vocal Cuts
How do you scratch with vocal samples and create vocal phases? It's all about breaking the samples up into their ...
Vocal Cuts – Say What / 1-2-3-4
In this lesson we break down some more advanced samples using the techniques we learned in the first vocal cuts tutorial ...
Stutter Vocal Cuts
In this lesson we will learn how to create a stuttering effect with vocal samples. Use the forward scratch to ...
Say It Before You Play It
How you can say your scratches out loud to expand your rhythms and patterns ...
Turnarounds / Cross Rhythm Timing
Turnarounds are something that Qbert covered in his QSU. I never quite managed to get this until Sunny Suckertash walked ...
Low to High / Pitch Variation / Scales
You may have heard me talking about varying the record speed / pitch (degree of highness or lowness of a ...
Using Ultrapitch Turntables and Records for Scratching
In this article I explain the concept and technique of scratching with ultrapitch turntables and records, specifically: What ultrapitch is ...
Course 7 – QnA Training Videos
Scratch Freestyles Inspiration
The Art of Practice
How to Get Better at Scratching – Learning Zone vs Performance Zone
If you are not getting better at scratching or feel like you are stagnating even though you are spending a …
Scratching: Learning Zone Ideas
Following on from my previous article on how to get better at scratching by being in the learning zone vs the …
Scratch Learning Zone: Deliberate Practice
Discover how deliberate practice can help you learn, make progress and perform better …
Scratch Learning Zone: The Value of the Performance Zone
Discover the value of the Performance Zone and how it can help you learn, make progress and perform better …
How to Spend More Time in the Scratch Learning Zone
Discover the value of the Performance Zone and how it can help you learn, make progress and perform better …
Why Do We Spend So Much Time in the Scratch Performance Zone?
Discover the value of the Performance Zone and how it can help you learn, make progress and perform better …
How to Create Spaces for Scratch Learning and Growth
Discover the value of the Performance Zone and how it can help you learn, make progress and perform better …
Is Your Scratch Practice Too High-Stakes?
Discover the value of the Performance Zone and how it can help you learn, make progress and perform better …
How to Engage in Ongoing Scratch Learning
Discover the value of the Performance Zone and how it can help you learn, make progress and perform better …
#askShortE – Your Questions Answered
#AskShortE Episode 1
Welcome to the very first edition of #askShortE, where I answer your questions on scratching and life! Show Notes In ...
#AskShortE Episode 2
Hey hey! Welcome to the second edition of #askShortE, where I answer your questions on scratching and life! Show Notes ...
#AskShortE Episode 3
Hey hey! Welcome to the 3rd edition of #askShortE, where I answer your questions on scratching and life! ...
#AskShortE Episode 4
Hey hey! Welcome to episode 4 of #askShortE, where I answer your questions on scratching and life! ...
#AskShortE Episode 5 – SoS Edition
Hey hey! Welcome to episode 5 of #askShortE, where I answer SoS Member questions on scratching and life! Show Notes Daddy or ...
#AskShortE Episode 6
Hey hey! Welcome to episode 6 of #askShortE, where I answer SoS Member questions on scratching and life! In this episode we ...
#AskShortE Episode 7
Hey hey! Welcome to episode 7 of #askShortE, where I answer your questions on scratching and life! In this episode ...
#AskShortE Episode 8
Hey hey! Welcome to episode 8 of #askShortE, where I answer your questions on scratching and life! ...
#AskShortE Episode 9
Hey hey! Welcome to episode 9 of #askShortE, where I answer your questions on scratching and life! ...