The Stab: Practicing Using Notation
Practicing the Stab using notation builds coordination, control, and stamina because it requires sustained effort. It requires you to focus on the notation while both hands move in time. You are reading the notes, moving both hands in time, and listening to the metronome or practice beat all at once. This sustained effort develops coordination and sharpens your focus and reaction time.
This is how clean record strokes, fader movement, and good timing can be developed at once. The notation tells you what to do next, which allows you to focus entirely on technique and the groove. The rhythm is already decided on the page, so you don’t have to think about what comes next. This lets you focus on making clean strokes, precise fader movement, and the feel of the beat.
Understanding How We Approach the Stab
We suggest starting the Stab with basic rhythms built from quarter notes and rests. This ensures that your focus remains on clean stroke execution and fader control rather than complex rhythms. Set a metronome or a practice loop to a comfortable speed, and don't hesitate to count out loud if necessary. We use standard music notation because it acts as a guide to indicate precisely when each movement happens and ensures that the record hand and the fader hand are synced in time. The focus here is control and coordination, not speed.
Ambidexterity is essential in scratching. Like every scratch technique, the Stab demands that both hands be equally capable. DJing often requires you to adapt to new environments, so being able to adjust to any setup is necessary. Spend time switching which hand does what. Give each hand time with both roles. If one hand feels weak or unsteady, resist the urge to avoid it. That awkwardness is expected and signals an opportunity for growth. With time and practice, that initial discomfort will go away.
Below is the original transcript from the video.
Hey, what’s up? In the last video, we learned how to stab quarter notes and eighth notes. In this tutorial, we’re going to continue where we left off. We’ll still be playing quarter note and eighth note rhythms, but we’re stepping things up a bit by adding the baby scratch. Let’s count it off and get started. The tempo is set at 86 beats per minute. Here we go!
Rhythm 1 (Walkthrough)
We’re going to play that rhythm one more time, but this time I’ll walk you through it first. We’re going to stab beat one, close the fader, baby scratch “two and,” stab beat three, close the fader, then baby scratch “four and.” We’re playing this two times for a total of four measures. Here we go!
Rhythm 1
Let’s move on to the next example. We’ll walk through this rhythm before we play it. This time, we’re going to baby scratch “one and,” stab beat two, baby scratch “three and,” then stab beat four. We’re playing this two times, for a total of four measures. Let’s count it off. Here we go!
Rhythm 2
Let’s dive into our third and final rhythm. But before we start, let’s break it down so you can have an idea as to how the example is to be played. We’re going to stab beat one, baby scratch “two and,” stab beat three, baby scratch “four and”. In the second measure: baby scratch “one and”, stab beat two, baby scratch “three and,” then stab beat four.
We are going to play this four times, for a total of eight measures. Here we go!
Rhythm 3
We hope you enjoyed this lesson! As always, make sure to practice this lesson several times with both hands because repetition is our friend. If you have any comments, please leave them in the comment section below. Thanks for checking us out! See you soon. Peace!
FAQs
1. How does notation help when practicing the Stab?
Notation helps when practicing the Stab because the rhythm is already decided on the page, allowing you to focus on clean record strokes, precise fader movement, and the feel of the beat.
2. Why is ambidexterity essential for the Stab?
Ambidexterity is essential for the Stab because both hands need to be capable of taking on both roles, controlling the record and the fader.
Summary
The Stab develops coordination and control by requiring you to focus on the notation while both hands move in time. Because the rhythm is already decided on the page, you can focus on clean record strokes, precise fader movement, and the feel of the beat. Both hands need to be capable of taking on both roles, controlling the record and the fader.
About the Authors
Jason E. Bullock and M. Dwayne Bullock (DjRoninTokyo) are the creators of Scratching Made Easy and the authors of Scratching Made Easy Turntable Method Book 1: A Guide to Scratching. They created a scratch notation system that uses standard musical notation to apply fundamental music concepts to scratching.
Pt. 3 → Pt. 4
Continue to: How I Learned Cross Fader & Record Control - The Stab Scratch (Part 4)
