In this lesson, we’re scratching a phrase that ends on the “and” of beat two and dropping the record on beat three. Being able to transition on beat three gives you more options, especially when you want to use a specific part of a song or a cappella that starts there. This lesson demonstrates how dropping on different beats can open up more possibilities for your transitions.
Below is the original transcript from the video.
What’s up? In this video, we are going to scratch a phrase and drop it on beat 3. We will be ending the phrase on the ‘and’ of beat two, and we will drop the record on beat 3.
Just a quick heads up: if you’re not using the same track as I am in this video, make sure the beat 3 you’re using is easy to scratch with. If you want to use ours, the link is in the description. Alright, let’s check out the phrase! Here we go!
Rhythm 1 Phrase
I mentioned in a previous video that I don’t scratch a lot with beat three. I said the only time I might use beat three is when I’m scratching a kick drum from a breakbeat.
However, just because I don’t use beat three with a kick drum often doesn’t mean it’s not important for transitions. I’ll explain it in a sec. For now, let’s keep move on to the transition.
Rhythm 2 Transition
The ability to transition on beat three is a tool. What do tools give us? Tools give us more options.
The ability to drop on any beat that you want opens things up for us. Imagine that you want to use an a cappella. You always drop it on beat one and let it play out over an instrumental.
But there is this one phrase in the song that you want to use, and it starts on beat 3. By being able to drop on beat 3, you can scratch out the phrase, drop it on beat, let the a cappella play, or bring it back and cut it up again! More tools equal more options. Peace!
FAQs
1. When might you use beat three while scratching?
You might use beat three when scratching a kick drum from a breakbeat.
2. Where does the scratch phrase end before dropping on beat three?
The scratch phrase ends on the “and” of beat two before the record is dropped on beat three.
3. How can dropping on beat three be used with an a cappella?
Dropping on beat three can be used to bring in an a cappella phrase that starts on beat three, let it play, or bring it back and cut it up again.
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 9
