What’s up? In previous lessons, I’ve mentioned the importance of counting out loud, and there’s a good reason for this. Counting out loud is a tool that helps us work out new rhythms, learn them more easily, and improve our scratching.
It can be hard to stay on beat when scratching a new rhythm. Counting out loud helps to improve our sense of time and can help us stay on beat. It may feel uncomfortable when you start doing it, but it’s extremely beneficial, and over time, you’ll eventually get used to it.
When working on a new rhythm, we can take things a step further in the process by clapping while we count the rhythm. Clapping the rhythm helps you focus on the beat and lock in the groove.
When scratching, you move the record and crossfader at the same time. Sometimes, you might even be playing two different rhythms at once. There is a lot going on.
Clapping first gives you a solid foundation, making the learning process easier, and gives you the ability to eventually add other details like tone and sound quality. This can make learning the new rhythm easier because we are focused on learning the rhythm and not scratching.
Clapping while counting also helps us to hear and feel the beat, which helps to ensure that we play the rhythm correctly.
Here’s an example of how I count out a rhythm. It’s from the fourth example of Part 9 of our Baby Scratch series.
If the music is too fast to count and clap accurately, you may need to slow it down. This rhythm has 16th notes, so we are going to slow it down to 75 beats per minute.
All right. Here we go!
Rhythm 1
When I clap new rhythms, I prefer to use a metronome. The metronome helps me focus strictly on the rhythm. However, this is what I like to do. You can also clap and count rhythms over music. This is a matter of preference. You should determine what works best for you.
Here is an example of the same rhythm clapped over a beat. I’ve slowed the beat down to 75 beats per minute to make it easier to clap accurately.
Rhythm 2
I couldn’t stand it when I started clapping and counting. It was extremely uncomfortable, and I felt crazy doing it. But over time, I saw how much it helped me learn new rhythms and improve my scratching.
Clapping and counting is fundamental to the way we teach. There are hundreds of rhythms to practice in our book, Scratching Made Easy Turntable Method.
You can also see and hear those rhythms being clapped and counted in the course on our website. In each lesson, I clap and count all of the rhythms for you. Links are in the description.
Thanks for checking us out.
Peace!
