How to Scratch for Beginners: The Four Basic Scratches

By NaJade · DJ in Bangkok · Published September 11, 2026

This guide is part of how to learn to DJ: the complete guide.

Four scratches, learned in order, cover everything a beginner needs. Here’s how each one works and the practice routine that actually builds them.

Scratching intimidates people more than any other DJ skill, and it shouldn’t. It looks like wizardry and it’s actually just two hands doing two simple things at the same time: one moves the record, one operates the crossfader. Everything from a baby scratch to a flare is a variation on that coordination. You don’t need turntables either — a controller with decent jog wheels will teach you the motion perfectly well. This guide covers the four foundational scratches in the order to learn them, the setup that makes practice easier, and honest expectations about how long it takes.

Scratching is one hand on the record and one on the crossfader, coordinated. Learn four in order: the baby scratch (no fader at all), the forward scratch (fader open on the push), the chirp (fader closing as you pull back), and the transformer (chopping the fader over a steady motion). Start on a spherical-stylus cartridge, use a loop rather than a whole track, and practise slowly to a metronome.

Setting Up to Practise

You don’t need turntables. A controller with responsive jog wheels teaches the motion. Turntables feel better and the technique transfers either way — see my DJ turntables guide.
Use a spherical stylus if you’re on vinyl. It tracks far better under rapid movement and skips less — details in the cartridges guide.
Loop your sample. Set a loop over the sound you’re scratching so it repeats endlessly and you’re not resetting every eight seconds.
Use a classic scratch sample — a vocal stab, a horn hit, an “ahh”. Something with a clear attack. Scratching a full track is much harder to hear.
Play a beat underneath. Scratching in silence teaches you nothing about timing. Loop a drum beat on the other deck.
Dominant hand on the record, other hand on the fader. This is the standard and it’s worth not fighting.

The Four Foundational Scratches

Scratch	Fader hand	Difficulty	Learn it for
Baby scratch	Does nothing	Foundation	The record-hand motion itself
Forward scratch	Open on push, closed on pull	Easy	Introducing fader coordination
Chirp	Closes as you pull back	Medium	Timing precision
Transformer	Chops repeatedly	Medium	Rhythm in the fader hand
Flare, orbit, crab	Advanced fader work	Hard	Later — much later

1. The baby scratch

The foundation of everything, and the one to spend real time on. Place your hand on the record or jog wheel and move it back and forth in a rhythmic motion with the fader open the whole time — the fader hand does nothing at all. You’ll hear the sample forwards then backwards, repeatedly.

It sounds basic and it’s teaching you the hardest part: consistent hand pressure, a repeatable distance, and rhythm. Start slowly, keep the fingers relaxed rather than rigid, and get it locked to a beat before adding speed. Most people rush past this and everything afterwards is shaky as a result.

2. The forward scratch

The first one with fader coordination. You do the same back-and-forth motion, but you close the fader on the way back, so only the forward push is audible. The result is a clean repeated stab rather than the forward-backward wobble of a baby scratch.

This is where most people first feel their hands fighting each other, and that’s normal — you’re building coordination, not learning a trick. Slow it right down until the fader closes at exactly the moment the record changes direction.

3. The chirp

The inverse timing, and the one that makes the distinctive bird-like sound. You start with the fader open and close it as you push the record forward, then open it as you pull back and close again — the cut happens during the movement rather than at the turnaround. It demands precision and it’s the first scratch that sounds genuinely impressive.

4. The transformer

Here the record hand does something simple and the fader hand does the work: you move the record slowly and steadily while chopping the fader open and closed repeatedly, cutting the sound into a stuttering rhythm. It’s the scratch that teaches your fader hand independent rhythm, which is the doorway to everything advanced. Once transformer and chirp are clean, flares and orbits become learnable.

How to Actually Practise

Slower than feels useful. Scratching is a motor skill; speed comes from repetition, not from attempting speed. Practising fast and sloppy builds fast and sloppy.
To a beat, always. Loop a simple drum pattern underneath. Scratching that isn’t in time is just noise, and timing is the actual skill.
One scratch per session. Fifteen focused minutes on the chirp beats an hour of cycling through everything.
Record it. You cannot hear your own timing accurately while concentrating on your hands. See how to record a DJ mix.
Expect weeks, not days. A clean baby scratch takes a few sessions; a clean chirp takes weeks. That’s normal and not a sign you lack talent.
Use it sparingly in sets. One well-placed scratch beats a routine nobody asked for.

A Note From NaJade

I’ll be straight with you: I play progressive house, and I am not a turntablist. Scratching is not a large part of what I do, and if you’re playing melodic house or techno it won’t be a large part of what you do either. So why learn it? Because it teaches your hands to trust the record in a way nothing else does. Scratching builds a physical relationship with the audio — you stop thinking of a track as a file that plays and start feeling it as something you’re holding — and that awareness shows up everywhere else, in your cueing, your nudges, your sense of where the beat actually is. Learn the baby scratch and the forward scratch properly, get them clean and in time, and stop there if you want. Even that much will make you a more confident DJ. And if it turns out you love it, the door to the whole turntablist world is right there.

Related: DJ turntables explained, DJ cartridges and styluses, and how to practise DJing. Want someone to check your technique? My DJ lessons run in person in Bangkok or online over Zoom.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you scratch as a beginner?

Start with the baby scratch, which uses no crossfader at all. Place your dominant hand on the record or jog wheel and move it back and forth in a rhythmic motion with the fader open throughout, keeping your fingers relaxed rather than rigid. Loop a short sample with a clear attack and play a drum beat underneath so you’re practising in time. Get this consistent before adding any fader work.

Can you scratch on a DJ controller?

Yes. A controller with responsive jog wheels teaches the motion and coordination perfectly well, and the technique transfers to turntables later. Turntables feel more natural because you’re moving actual vinyl with real torque underneath, and serious turntablists prefer them, but you absolutely do not need to buy turntables to learn scratching. Start with what you have and upgrade only if scratching becomes central to how you play.

What is the difference between a chirp and a forward scratch?

The timing of the fader. In a forward scratch, you close the crossfader on the way back, so only the forward push is audible — producing a clean repeated stab. In a chirp, you start with the fader open and close it as you push the record forward, then open it as you pull back, so the cut happens during the movement rather than at the turnaround. The chirp demands more precision and makes the distinctive bird-like sound.

How long does it take to learn to scratch?

Expect weeks rather than days for anything clean. A recognisable baby scratch comes within a few sessions, but getting it consistent and locked to a beat takes longer, and a clean chirp typically takes several weeks of regular practice. This is a motor skill, so progress comes from short frequent sessions rather than occasional long ones. Practising slowly matters more than practising a lot — fast and sloppy builds fast and sloppy.

What cartridge is best for scratching?

One with a spherical stylus, which tracks far more reliably under rapid movement and is much less likely to skip than an elliptical. Since Shure discontinued its DJ cartridges, Ortofon’s Concorde range is the default, with Scratch and Quartz models built specifically for heavy tracking during scratching. Set the tracking force to the manufacturer’s specification using the counterweight rather than guessing, and keep a spare stylus in your bag.

Do I need to scratch to be a good DJ?

No. Plenty of excellent DJs in house, techno and progressive genres never scratch, and in those styles it’s rarely appropriate. The reason to learn the basics anyway is that it builds a physical relationship with the audio — you stop treating a track as a file that plays and start feeling it as something you’re holding — and that awareness improves your cueing, nudging and general sense of where the beat sits.

About the Author

NaJade is a Bangkok-based DJ playing progressive house, melodic EDM, pop, and Thai music across clubs, rooftops, and weddings in Thailand. He teaches beatmatching and mixing to beginners both in person in Bangkok and online over Zoom. When he’s not behind the decks, he’s documenting the journey on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

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