In this lesson, we scratch a phrase that ends on the “a” of beat 3 and transition into the next song on beat four. The exercise also reinforces counting as a practical tool for keeping track of where you are in the music and avoiding confusion between beats like two and four. With continued practice, counting can become ingrained and something you can rely on whenever you need to focus more closely on your timing.
Below is the original transcript from the video.
What’s up? In this video, we are moving on to scratching and transitioning with beat four, and we will end the phrases with a sixteenth note, the "a" of beat 3, and drop on beat four.
If this is new for you, you might want to count out loud. The reason I’m saying this is that I have a feeling some of you might finish the phrase and drop on beat 2 instead of beat 4.
This can happen if you’re not yet comfortable with or used to counting. Time to go over the phrase! Here we go!
Rhythm 1 Phrase
In past videos, I briefly talked about life as a DJ that didn’t know how to count. It was extremely stressful because I was going off of feeling or I was just listening and reacting.
Beat two and beat four were markers for me, and I relied on them. However, if I wasn’t focused, I’d sometimes mistake beat 4 for beat 2. Luckily, I have never done it in public, but I’ve done it at the crib a million times.
Since I'm being honest, I might as well let you know that I’ve done it with beats 1 and 3 too. If you’ve also done it, let us know in the comment section. Alright, let’s move on to the transition! Here we go!
Rhythm 2 Transition
I think you should know ahead of time that we’re not trying to drive anybody crazy!
We talk about counting a lot because we are trying to drive home a point for those who aren’t used to counting or don’t know anything at all about counting.
The ability to count is one of our tools. Once you get it, you’ve got it. If you do it continuously, it will become ingrained over time, and you’ll just count when you need to or when you want to hone in on your timing. We hope this helps. If it does, share it with a friend! Peace!
FAQs
1. Where does the transition happen in this exercise?
The transition happens on beat four after ending the phrase on the “a” of beat 3.
2. Why might you accidentally drop on beat 2 instead of beat 4?
You might accidentally drop on beat 2 instead of beat 4 because you are not yet comfortable with or used to counting, and they both usually have a snare.
3. Why would you practice counting while scratching?
You would practice counting while scratching because counting gives you a tool to use when you need to hone in on your timing.
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.
Continue to: How I Scratch and Transition into a Song | Lesson 11
