Scratch ‘n’ Space
In the world of scratching just like in almost everything else, less is more. When you begin to learn to scratch there is the drive to do precisely just that, scratch and scratch and scratch through every track. Once warmed up and in the groove, loose and limber fingers are all too eager to layer sound over sound. The end result is more often than not an overly busy sonic assault where the audience can barely make out the basic rhythm let alone hear individual contributions to the overall piece. What one of the most difficult things to learn to appreciate for almost any musician is the power of silence.
Exercising restraint is what makes whatever you do do, when you do it, effective. It is the pause, the rest, the musical space between notes carried on the musician’s control and ability to breathe within a piece that creates a tight and well-defined audio aesthetic. Sure to most scratch musicians every beat sounds better ridden by some sort of turntable action, but the truth be known, nobody likes a sonic bully, and to play effectively within more musical phrases, one must make use of less.
It can be agreed that the bedroom is not the same as the stage. During practice there are countless hours of nonstop vinyl action, which hopefully will reflect in mastered scratches during performances. However in performance when working with other musicians or even during your own set scratching over multilayered “finished tracks,” you have to leave room for the song itself. There is a trade off with other musicians and/or sounds.
It’s about timing and control. Sure you can spend a whole musical set cramming in every stuttered and twisted sound you can think of, or perhaps wait for a scratch solo when you can cut loose with needle badness on wax. More often than not, however, too much scratching too soon can have a wham bam thank you mam effect that detracts from the turntable’s versatility and musicality, invariably undermining your effectiveness as a musician.
Some tips on scratching cooperatively:
When working with other musicians most important skill is listening.
Enjoy other people’s talent
When working with finished tracks especially those with a strong melodic components, if you do decide to dominate a piece, make sure you are better sounding than the lead instrument. Don’t do half-assed fresh samples over a Hendrix guitar riff for instance. If you are going to sonically trample something, make sure what you are offering is superior to what is already there.
If there is other scratching in the song, especially if it’s good, don’t scratch over it.
Don’t scratch over vocals,
Don’t scratch over your friend’s scratching unless agreed. Trade bars – 8 to 16 bar exchange if jamming.
When scratching together use the same or similiar sound in a Q and A type musical dialogue or find sounds that are of different audio frequencies. Contrasts in tone and pitch following the same rhythms are pretty impressive.
Most importantly don’t blow your entire wad in one set, always, always leave’em wanting more.
Related posts:
- The Art and Science of the Remix – Take 1 “If you’ve just got air between sounds on a record, you take that air and fuck it up.” ...
- ambidexterous take 2 Music creation and recreation is really like a circle - a sonic version of the pi concept- endless numbers of audio patterns spiraling out, always renewing itself, always remixing itself as both our mind and playing technique are continually redesigned by expanding song....
