So you decided to take the plunge and drop a bunch of money and get all the gear you need to be a Pro DJ. You’ve got the plans, the motivation, the number of the local venues, and a friend-of-a-friend wants to promote you when you make it. It’s all looking up for you.
Except, you lack those pesky skills. For one, your mixing sounds awful, the fades are whack, and your scratches actually sounds like you are scratching the record to pieces. You need some DJ Instruction. And you need it yesterday.
We’ve all been there. But don’t worry, because once you get your equipment, it’s only practice that stands between you and a wad of cash and a bit of fame (in the right circles at least).
This isn’t meant to be a full-on lesson in how to DJ, if you want a full DJ lesson you’re going to have to look here. But, what I am trying to do is give you 3 Huge Tips that are going to help you learn to be a Pro DJ.
DJ Instruction: Learn Three Huge DJ Tricks:
DJ Trick 1. Get the right equipment: I know this first one sounds bogus, but even if you think you got the right stuff, you might be kidding yourself. If your decks are bad, then your tempo is going to be as reliable as the lottery. You are going to be as frustrated as a Victoria’s secret photographer. Get some good stuff and then move on to number 2.
DJ Trick 2. Add your own drums on a record: Another trick you can do is have a record playing on one deck and set the tonal arm on the beginning or the end of the record where no music is written now have the record stopped and tap on the record with your finger. The vibration from you tapping will sound like a base beat. Tap in beat with the other record to fatten up the base or add your own percussive touch.
DJ Trick 3. Get some good DJ Instruction: Please don’t waste your time with books. They can take you only so far. Would you use a book to learn to make love? I hope not. The only good way to learn is from a mentor or from a video series where you can see and hear what’s going on. You can see some reviews of DJ video series here.
So now that you know some of the tricks, hit the decks and see what you can make happen.
By: Bradley Spencer
Posts Tagged ‘Self Study’
DJ Instruction – Learn 3 Self-Study DJ Tricks
December 23rd, 2009How To Self Study For The GMAT
November 20th, 2009
If you’ve chosen to study on your own, you must realize that there’s a distinction between study and practice. Study is when you learn the methods for tackling GMAT questions. Practice is when you sit down and practice those methods. The best move is to buy one, and only one, commercial test preparation book, complete it, and then practice the methods you’ve learned on former GMAT exams, such as those found in ETS’ Official Guide for GMAT Review, plus practice on practice GMAT CATs (computer adaptive tests). You’ll need to make a decision on which commercial book you pick – but pick one and stick with it.
Don’t concern yourself with much with whether or not a book has better methods than the others. Instead, you should be more concerned with how well a book teaches someone who is self-studying. For many people, learning something from a book, without a teacher, can be a difficult experience. If this is true of you, then you may want to seek out a book which guides you through the material well.
What NOT to Do
Buy more than one commercial test prep book. Working through several commercial preparation books won’t help more; indeed, it will actually hurt, as you’ll spend too much time learning methods and not enough practicing. Pick one book and stick with it. Once you’re done, practice heavily on full-length GMAT exams and questions – paper or computer.
Buy textbooks from someone who took a live GMAT course. This is an enormous waste of money. The books are designed for classroom use, not self-study. As such, you’ll be confused and frustrated. Even if the student took copious notes, the text is still not designed for self-study, and, as such, will teach you little. Many students assume that the big companies teach methods in live classes not taught in the retail books. This is not true. The methods in the live classes and the books are usually quite similar.
What To Buy For GMAT Self-Study
1- Commercial Preparation Book.
2- ETS’ Official Guide for GMAT Review.
3- ETS’ PowerPrep Software and any other quality computer tests you can find.
By: Michael W. Stone
How To Self-Study For the LSAT
November 3rd, 2009
If you plan to prepare for the LSAT by book, ensure that you go slowly and understand all points thoroughly, just as you would for a university course textbook. You should plan to spend two to six months preparing for the LSAT. Do five 35-minute study sessions (with one ten-minute break after the third sessions) every other day for all LSAT preparation time. This parallels the timing for the actual LSAT, and will help you build the mental endurance needed for the LSAT.
First
Gain a basic understanding of logical reasoning. If you have not taken a basic logical reasoning course, either do so, or read a logical reasoning book such as Richard Feldman’s Reason & Argument, although Chapters One through Seven, Nine, and Ten are sufficient for the LSAT in that particular book. Obtaining logical reasoning skills is arguably the most important part of LSAT preparation. Without a basic foundation, you will likely have great difficulty with the LSAT. Working through the suggested chapters of Feldman’s Reason & Argument should take you about one month, if you do five 35-minute study sessions every other day.
Second
Work through the preparation material (not the former tests, i.e., LSAT PrepTests) provided by Law Services. Visit Law Services Downloadable Forms at http://www.LSAC.org. Scroll down to ‘LSAT Preparation: Sample Questions With Explanations’ and click on the link to view/download. The material is somewhat short, and will likely only take you a few days to work through.
Third
Most likely you will also wish to complete a commercial preparation book that provides an overview of all LSAT sections. Pick a single book and stick with it.
Fourth
Work through real, former LSAT tests and focus on your pacing (how many questions you will attempt), timing (how much time you will spend per question, game, or passage), and review each question afterwards, whether you got the question correct or incorrect. Take your time to ensure that you fully understand each question and exactly why choices are correct or incorrect. Do not make the mistake of taking plenty of tests with superficial review. Do not confuse quality and quantity — It’s better to take one test and fully review it than to take ten tests with minimal review. Remember that the LSAT is a standardized test and you will see similar material each time.
Law Services provides LSAT PrepTest 20 (October 1996) free for download. To download the test, visit Law Services Downloadable Forms at http://www.LSAC.org. Scroll down to ‘Complete Sample LSAT’ and click on the link to download. After download you may view and print the test.
What NOT To Do
Purchase used books from a student who took a live LSAT preparation class. Even if the student took copious notes, the text is still not designed for self-study.
Try to cram. The LSAT is a skills test, not a knowledge test. You must develop your logical reasoning and LSAT test-taking skills over time to achieve your maximum score potential. I suggest a minimum of two months for LSAT preparation, but three to four months is probably ideal. Over four months may be necessary, but should be avoided to keep you from getting bored and frustrated.
By: Michael W. Stone
