Last week, I had the exclusive opportunity to tour and take one-on-one lessons at the Scratch Academy here in New York. I had been hearing about the school for a while, but was never able to go and see it for myself until last Thursday. Once I was confirmed to attend, I immediately started tweeting the heck out of Producer Ski Beatz, loll. Ski Beats was super cool about it, and a very enthusiastic teacher. I got a crash course in producing beats in the studio…. how cool is that?!?!?!
Initially, I thought I would only be learning how to scratch on the turntables… but to my surprise I also go the studio experience. After Ski Beatz class was over, I left with a new found respect for producers. I discovered that producers are artist…. they make art with their ears. I know now that you have to have a great deal of talent, a keen ear, and a tremendous amount of rhythm to become a great producer. As I explained to some of you on Twitter… I am an artist, my talent as a writer allows me to create art with words. It was a total head rush to express art through a different channel. I soaked up the experience completely and highly recommend that anyone with a passion for music check out Scratch Academy.
My next course was that of learning how to spin on the turn tables. I was so stoked!!!! Although, I can not remember the name of my teacher…. he was an industry veteran, and extremely patient as I drilled him with questions on how to become a successful DJ. He explained to me how it was important to learn how to spin on vinyl as oppose to relying on tracks from the computer. Not only is it a better sound, it makes you more credible in the industry. Under his teachings, I learned three different scratches… and I got to master the “Transformer Scratch”, which is supposed to be the most difficult.
All-in-All I had a GREAT TIME!!!!!
Scratch Academy
