What are some tips and tricks for learning to DJ?

By Morris McWerther


DJing is the new rock 'n' roll and DJs and electronic music producers are the new rock stars. However, if you think that being a DJ is as easy as sticking a cd in and pressing play then you have a lot to learn. Ok things have advanced significantly since the time when DJs were using reel to reel tape players and early turntables to mix with. The latest technology takes a lot of the hard work of beatmatching out of mixing.

Because this removes the need for you to learn how to play songs at the same speed as each other it frees up your time to focus on learning other aspects of DJing. Get to the top of the game and you could be earning $10000 per hour, for doing something you love!. The job is definitely well paying and the icing on the cake is the fact that you get to have loads of fun as you play.

One of the best pieces of advice that a beginner in the world of deejaying should make use of is with regard to how important it is that you know your music. This is quite crucial as it is the foundation of your entire career as a DJ. The differentiating factor between those who make it and those who don't as successful DJs is how they approach it to begin with. Ultimately, knowing your music inside out will make the rest of the process a whole lot easier.

Becoming a good DJ isn't just about being able to programme some loops or swap back and forth between two different songs. These skills are of course important, but an in depth understanding of music will come in quite handy if you'd like to keep a crowd grooving for an entire night. You should also remember that you're not playing the music for yourself but for your listeners.

There is an important balance to be struck between playing music that you enjoy and playing music that your crowd enjoys. You should entertain your audience by playing music that they like and also keep a keen eye to see how they react to each new jam that you play. You should have a good of what kind of music to play at a venue before you turn up to play your set.

You're going to have to pull out all the stops and use every trick in the book if you want to get ahead in this hyper-competitive world of DJing. You could argue that in order to be a good or a successful DJ that you shouldn't narrow your focus to just a single musical genre. Limiting yourself to only playing one or a few genres of music will make it easier to learn your trade but you will need to be really good to get to the top of your musical niche. Having a good all round repertoire will make you more marketable, especially in the early stages of your career, then you can think about specialising later.

Focussing on a single genre of music might limit the work you can get as a DJ and if you are reliant on your income from DJing it could be counter-productive. Being able to play various genres of music will also help you to land corporate gigs where you will definitely not play the same kind of music that you would play while in a club. The information provided here should give you some good pointers and basic tips to get you started. When you've made the jump from practising in your bedroom to playing regular paid gigs make sure you spend some money on decent quality kit.




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