4 Of The Worst Creativity Killers

 

Facebook User: The MAJOR difference between transforms and flares is that flares start with the fader open, so you get 3 “notes” out of two clicks on the fader.

Me: Maybe the “MAJOR” similarity between Transforms and Flares is that both scratches can start with the mixer’s crossfader closed. Maybe the “MAJOR” difference between Transforms and Flares isn’t in the amount of “notes” (2, 3, 4…) you land but in the timing with which you land your clicks on the mixer’s crossfader (8th notes vs 16th notes).

Maybe the reason why it’s hard to tell the difference between one scratch nerd from the next is because they’re too busy thinking the thoughts of other master scratchers when they practice and perform. I taught myself how to execute a Flare. No one showed me because the scratch DJs who created and mastered it were secretive about the technique when it was first introduced. In being forced to figure the Flare out without anyone’s help, I developed my own personal relationship with the scratch. And so the way I interact with Flaring is unique to me. Maybe that’s why I’m not limited to starting a “Flare” scratch with the fader open like you are.

What makes some scratchers more creative than others isn’t technical ability. ANYONE, even a non DJ, can learn how to regurgitate a “Flare” with the right amount of practice. What makes one scratcher more creative than another comes down to his/her ability to think their own thoughts about a particular scratch technique they’re trying to learn or master and then through experimentation, validate their ability to reinterpret said technique because the outcome of their training yielded results that sound like no other “skratcher” on the planet.

Here are 4 of the worst creativity killers:

1. Prejudging

Creative scratchers, beat jugglers, etc., have open minds. They allow themselves to generate ideas freely, without restrictions or judgments. Scratching would not exist today if GrandWizzard Theodore limited his scratching to only when cueing a sound inside his headphones. In breaking that cardinal rule DJs before him followed, he reinvented the purpose of a turntable.

2. Lack of courage

Fear is creativity’s archenemy. Don’t follow in some other DJ’s footsteps because you know where they lead. Instead, forge your own path with what you know. Trust you’ll end up where you’re meant to.

3. Avoidance of failure.

You can’t be creative if you’re afraid to fail. GrandWizzard Theodore discovered Scratching by mistake!

4. Comparing yourself to others.

When you compare what you do as a scratcher to what others say and do, you rob yourself of your own God given abilities. Once you have an understanding of the fundamentals, train in accordance with your own standards. The only unique contribution you can ever make to Turntablism is scratching like yourself!

In closing. My advice is simple. Stop thinking the thoughts of other “skratchers” (and DJs in general) because that’s the fastest way to kill creativity.

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