Scratching facts for kids

Scratching

Scratching is a cool way DJs (Disc Jockeys) make music using a special record player called a turntable. It's also known as scrubbing. A DJ moves a vinyl record back and forth very quickly on the turntable. This creates unique, rhythmic sounds, almost like a drum beat or a special effect! DJs often use a "crossfader" on their mixer to smoothly switch between sounds from two different records.

Scratching first became popular in hip hop music in the mid-1970s. It's a really important skill for DJs in hip hop culture. Since the 1990s, you can also hear scratching in other music styles like rap rock, rap metal, and nu metal. DJs even compete in big scratching contests, like the DMC World DJ Championship, to show off their amazing skills! They use special equipment like turntables and mixers. Sometimes, in hip hop songs, scratched sounds are used as catchy parts called "hooks" from other songs.

The World of Scratching

Even though scratching is sometimes heard in pop music today, the most advanced scratching techniques are part of an "underground" style. This means it's a special skill developed by a dedicated group of DJs. A famous group called the Invisibl Skratch Piklz from San Francisco focused a lot on scratching. They formed in 1994 with talented DJs like Q-Bert and Mix Master Mike.

In 2000, a big event called Skratchcon2000 happened in San Francisco. It was the first forum just for scratch music, helping people learn more about it. Later, a company called Thud Rumble started working with DJs to make and share scratch records. In 2004, Scratch Magazine was launched. It was one of the first magazines about hip hop DJs and music producers. There are also workshops, like those run by Pedestrian in the UK, where experienced DJs teach young people how to make beats, mix music, and perform.

Scratching in Different Music Styles

Scratching isn't just for hip hop! It has been used in many other types of music. You can find it in pop, rock, jazz, and even some heavy metal songs, especially nu metal. Some modern classical music performances also use scratching. When music is recorded, sometimes artists use a sampler instead of physically scratching a record. A sampler is an electronic device that can play back recorded sounds.

Some early rock bands also used scratching. For example, DJ Product©1969, who was in the rap rock band Hed PE, remembered the punk rock band the Vandals using scratching. Another early rap metal band called Proper Grounds also used scratching in their music.

Guitarists can even make sounds like scratching! Tom Morello, a famous guitarist from bands like Rage Against the Machine, uses a special "kill switch" on his guitar. He rubs the strings and uses the switch to create rhythmic, scratch-like sounds. A great example is in the song "Bulls on Parade".

Since the 1990s, scratching has become popular in many music styles. Bands like Linkin Park, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit use it in their nu metal songs. Pop artists like Nelly Furtado and alternative rock bands like Incubus have also used scratching. It's also a big part of various electronic music styles, like hard-groove techno.

Related pages

• List of turntablists
• Tape-bow violin
• Vinyl emulation software

• DJ Grandmaster Flash quoted in Toop, David (1991). Rap Attack 2, 65. New York: Serpent's Tail. ISBN: 1-85242-243-2.

Images for kids

• 

  In the mid-1970s in the South Bronx, a young teen DJ named "Grand Wizzard Theodore" (right) invented the "DJ scratch" technique. Other DJs, like Grandmaster Flash, took the technique to higher levels.

See also

In Spanish: Scratch (música) para niños