The Baby Scratch: The Core
The Baby Scratch is a simple movement, but it carries more weight than it first appears to. Staying with it over time changes how you hear rhythm, how you place strokes, and how you relate to the beat.
From the outside, the Baby Scratch looks basic. Underneath it, however, are the core movements that everything else in scratching grows from. It is the scratch that teaches your hands how to move naturally.
Without an understanding of rhythm, the Baby Scratch turns into guesswork. With that understanding in place, it becomes part of the music.
The technique itself is straightforward. You push the record forward and pull it back. The focus is entirely on record control and movement. Each motion has a clear purpose, and each one belongs somewhere inside the beat.
Forward and backward strokes are not random. They are placed. When they land in time, the scratch locks into the rhythm the same way a drum hit does. Scratching is a rhythmic art form, and for it to sound musical, your hands need to move with accuracy and in time with the beat. The Baby Scratch is where that process begins.
Each forward and backward stroke occupies a specific space in the pulse of the song. Practicing the Baby Scratch teaches your hands to move in time so the scratches feel connected to the beat. As timing becomes consistent, scratching starts to feel less like guesswork and more like playing a rhythm instrument.
Once the basic hand movements, timing, and coordination are in place, the Baby Scratch stops feeling like an entry-level technique. It becomes a flexible musical tool that can be used throughout a set. Its strength is not complexity, but how it can be used to fit naturally into the structure of the music.
A simple scratch, placed at the right moment, can feel deliberate and musical.
The skills developed through the Baby Scratch extend far beyond scratching. Timing, control, rhythmic awareness, and an understanding of musical structure affect everything you do behind the decks. This technique trains your ears, hands, and brain to work together in time, and that coordination carries over into all aspects of DJing.
Musical notation is the tool that helps internalize this process.
The Baby Scratch is not something you grow out of. It is the core. Strip any scratch technique down far enough and you will find the same elements underneath: record movement, rhythm, and control of sound. When that connection is clear, other techniques become variations of a familiar technique rather than entirely new skills. The Baby Scratch sits at the core of everything we do.
The original transcript for the video is below.
Rhythm 1
What's up guys? We finally made it to the last video of this baby scratch series. Thanks a lot for coming this far. We really appreciate it, and we hope that you've been able to benefit from the videos. In this final lesson, we are going to incorporate all of the previously covered material. You’ll find the link to the sheet music and everything discussed in this video in the description below. That being said...let's get started. The tempo is at 85 beats per minute. Here we go!
Rhythm 2
We are going to keep it moving, but on the next rhythm, make sure you continue to count out loud. We want to count out loud, because we want to build a solid foundation that we can depend on in the future. Let’s move on to number two. Here we go!
Rhythm 3
It is extremely important that we are playing in time. Don’t get frustrated. If you find yourself rushing, or if you are late, slow down the tempo. If you are unsure about your timing, you might want to try recording yourself. Recording yourself is a great way to identify timing issues. Okay! Let’s play number three.
Rhythm 4
Mistakes are natural, but we want to get to the point where we are playing these exercises without making mistakes. With this last rhythm, let’s try to focus on not rushing the rests, while trying to play strokes that are as even as possible. Let’s try making our strokes as evenly spaced apart and as accurate as we can. Let’s dive in to number four. Alright, here we go!
Thanks for watching. We really hope that you enjoyed this series. For premium content, check out our website scratchingmadeeasy.com. With our premium videos, we will walk you through learning different scratch techniques, and more importantly, how to put them together. Our Made Easy Method takes all the mystery out of scratching, and with consistent practice, it will take your scratching to the next level. If you have any comments, please leave them in the comment section below. See you next series! Peace!
FAQs
1. Why is the Baby Scratch at the core of other scratch techniques?
The Baby Scratch is at the core of other scratch techniques because record movement, rhythm, and control of sound are the same elements found underneath other scratch techniques.
2. How do the skills developed through the Baby Scratch affect DJing?
The skills developed through the Baby Scratch affect DJing because timing, control, rhythmic awareness, and an understanding of musical structure carry over into all aspects of DJing.
3. What role does musical notation play in learning the Baby Scratch?
Musical notation helps internalize the timing, record movement, and rhythmic placement used in the Baby Scratch.
Summary
The Baby Scratch develops timing, control, rhythmic awareness, and an understanding of musical structure that carry over into DJing. Those same elements of record movement, rhythm, and control of sound also sit underneath other scratch techniques, which is why the Baby Scratch remains at the core of scratching.
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. 9 → Pt. 1
Continue to: How I Learned to Scratch With the Cross Fader - The Chirp ( Part 1)
