In any walk of life, practice is the way to get better. DJing is no different. For a skill that is very technical, practicing is as important as doing a live set, recording a mix or finding music. It builds your confidence, allows you to test your new tunes in a safe setting and allows you to develop your individual style. This is vital to your growth as a DJ, whether it’s a hobby or something you’re pursuing professionally. Also, you’ll feel you’re really progressing in your craft, getting used to your gear and taking the steps to become a competent DJ in your own right.
In this article, we dig deep into why practice is a crucial part of being a DJ and why you shouldn’t take it lightly.
But first…
Before you dust down your turntables or CDJs and get to spinning, it’s important to figure out what it is you want to do when you practice. Do you want to mix in key? Do a practice set strictly with edits? Mix for two hours straight and not make a mistake? Having an objective will keep you in the zone and steer your course, giving you the motivation to have a great session and build towards your goals.
Finding your style
When you’re first starting out as a DJ, it’s natural that you’ll adapt what you see. If you’re watching YouTube tutorials or checking out DJs you really respect, you’ll observe how they spin and want to take elements of it. That will, at least in that beginning, give you a foundation to build on. As you practice more and more, slowly your own personal style will feed into your performance. Whether it’s a certain type of music you play or the way you blend tunes, or even the way you express yourself when DJing. Some DJs like to dance to their own sets while others are in deep concentration, monitoring the CDJs as they line up the next track.
With practice, you can explore different genres, tempos and energy levels, which enhances your versatility. You also get used to the rhythm of the music you’re playing and that will make your transitions easier to grasp and pull off.
It’s important to understand what role you’ll play, and one of the ways to do that is practice. There, you can experiment with all kinds of things in a safe and secure environment. The best part? There’s no pressure to find your style right away. It’s a process; some of the world’s biggest DJs were once beginners, in the same boat as you, trying to figure out what works for them. Not only that, but their styles continue to develop over time because they continue to practice and learn. A DJ like Madlib, for example, has gone from fairly muted DJ sets to becoming interactive, dancing and head-bopping to the music he plays. Practicing will help you make sense of what it is you’re trying to achieve with your sets, find a structure to them and test out new sounds and concepts.
Gaining confidence
In many ways, DJing well is determined by how confident you are. It might be easy for some to coast through a set and not think twice about it but you’ll need to have faith in yourself to see out a set the way you want to. It might seem like an abstract thing, but Red Light Syndrome is very real, and practice is a surefire way to build yourself up.
Much like developing your own style, confidence goes hand in hand with practice, making you feel ready to record a DJ set or perform live. Not only can you prepare for your set from a technical standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint you can also get in the mood to perform. Bring yourself into the zone of delivering for a crowd especially if, say, you perform a practice set to a couple of close friends and family before your big night.
Also, when you’re confident, other things won’t faze you as much. Let’s say you’re performing live and the crowd isn’t dancing to your tunes; instead of doubt creeping in, confidence can empower you to adapt your set, find what they do like and continue to play to them. In other words, confidence can be the difference between a not-so-great set and an amazing one. Practice can help you achieve the latter, and the more you do it, the more you’ll be able to trust your instincts.
Getting feedback
It might seem a bit daunting to have others listen to your sets and comment on them, especially if you’re new to DJing. But constructive feedback can point you in the right direction as far as developing your style and gaining confidence goes. It can tell you what good you’re doing and where you could potentially tweak some things, all in the interest of making you better. Identify family, friends or loved ones you trust and allow them to hear a set, whether you record one or perform one to them live. Maybe upload your mix to Mixcloud so they can check it out. When you get feedback, take it in your stride. A fresh set of ears will give you a fresh perspective for how to develop your sets, which you can then practice on and get better at.
Getting yourself ready for live and recorded sets
There’s never a better time to get into the mood for a set than when you’re practicing. It’s your arena to get your music ready, find the sequence you want to play them in and the story you want to tell. Let’s say you’re putting together a mix about Zamrock, the obscure psychedelic rock genre from 1970s Zambia. You’ve spent a great amount of time collecting the essential tracks you need to showcase the breadth of the sound. Tunes by WITCH, The Ngozi Family and Amanaz. As you’re practicing, you can work out where they fit in your mix, giving you the confidence to hit the record button when the time comes, play your tunes and then upload the mix.
In the same breath, if you’ve been booked for a live show, or you’re live streaming a set, practice allows you to simulate what you’ll do in front of a crowd. You can test music, cue them in a way you see fit, plan your set and maybe add more tunes if you don’t have enough to fit the vibe of the mix. You can sort your music out by mood, genre or BPM so that you’re ready for any type of occasion and have your songs readily accessible. Then, practice gives you the time to lay out these different themes on your DJ software. You can get into a really strong routine when you practice, giving you the discipline to stick with it and get even better.
Embrace everything!
As fun as practice can be, it can also not be fun in some ways. You’re not always going to get things right, but that’s what can be part of the fun. In your mistakes, you may find new challenges to overcome and styles to adopt that can boost your DJ skills. So make every practice session count; it’s the most surefire way towards perfection you can get!