i don't ever wait for the 6 minutes to end if im practicing...i just megamix...i.e. mix in songs after 1 or 2 mins and try doing live mash-ups. a great way to practice though is while doing something else.
example:
if ur reading (which i do coz i'm in college)...i mix a song after reading a page lol...sounds lame but it helps u get practice...and speeds up ur beatmatching...i got my beatmatching up from about 30 secs to under 10.
although i still maintain that the best practice u get is from an actual gig. and yeah i find house and trance pretty easy to mix with the 4 on 4 beat...try doing hip hop mash-ups with house...it works ur ear a lot more because they're different beats.
also recording ur mixes helps, because there's a high chance ur going to fuck around if no one's listening but u
i play the same way every time i play: with my heart, as if it were the last time i could play
Dec-17-2008 18:47
spdandpwr
DJ in the making...
Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Living in Connecticut, Partying in New York
the only problem with doing megamix/mashups is you don't learn to nail the phrasing right for when you do play out. this is why i also prefer mixing hip hop; because, although its more of a workout (scratching and mixing between songs more often), mixing in and out of songs in infinitely easier with hip hop (because all songs are structured the same).
Dec-18-2008 06:34
Zild
Ten City
Registered: Jun 2004
Location: San Antonio, US : TXTA #156
quote:
Originally posted by spdandpwr
the only problem with doing megamix/mashups is you don't learn to nail the phrasing right for when you do play out. this is why i also prefer mixing hip hop; because, although its more of a workout (scratching and mixing between songs more often), mixing in and out of songs in infinitely easier with hip hop (because all songs are structured the same).
Why can't you nail the phrasing right? I tend to drop a track on phrase and bring it up into the mix while riding the pitch to keep it in sync. I don't understand why mixing in quickly would keep you from phrasing properly.
___________________
I've never been able to eat a whole baby.
Kill the women. Eat the children.
It's just one of those days where you want to bend over everyone you know and kiss their ass goodbye with a big sideways boot.
Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Living in Connecticut, Partying in New York
oops...you're right...i was just thinking that if a song had 64 beats before its second break and the incoming track had 128 beats before its first break...you wouldn't get the incoming song to start before the track you are mixing goes into a break.
but then again, that doesn't matter...you just need to know your tracks.
Dec-18-2008 06:49
PutBoy
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: LA (Landskrona)
quote:
Originally posted by spdandpwr
oops...you're right...i was just thinking that if a song had 64 beats before its second break and the incoming track had 128 beats before its first break...you wouldn't get the incoming song to start before the track you are mixing goes into a break.
And that's why they invented looping...
Or, conversely, you could just cue the track 64 beats in. In any case, it will work well for you.
Or, you could just start the second track 64 beats earlier.
Originally posted by nefardec
i play the same way every time i play: with my heart, as if it were the last time i could play
yeah, i know that is an honest response. but, for me it was mostly a struggle to master the technicalities of djing. i remember i used to have tons of cds, with music i had downloaded illegally off the web, but my djing was terrible.
learn to count and read/identify tonalities, but yeah in general i agree go with your heart, acquaint yourself with the best people (from inside, not rep. wise) who are willing to guide you and always follow your instinct,
even when it tells you to 'stop djing' for a while.
