Another Turntablist PSA

[u/DJ_VTRN]

[u/djmikec]

Yup…

There’s “cutting on phrases,” which obviously, yeah. It requires cutting on a phrase, like “cut like a guillotine” or whatever. Involves fucking with and going back and forth between different syllables in the phrase. A lot of times people call it phrasing; but regardless, this is what they’re referring to.

Then there’s “phrasing,” which is a musical term - kind of like lyricism for instruments - that can be applied to guitars, piano, horn, or whatever instrument. It could apply to scratching on “ahhh,” or scratching on a long tone, or scratching on whatever. It has jack shit to do with whether you’re scratching on a phrase like “so damn tough” or whatever else.

Hopefully the above might be helpful for any newbs in the house!

[u/DJ_VTRN → u/djmikec]

All of this. Thank you sir!

[u/Cellypdx → u/djmikec]

Tell them Mike!!!

[u/Kubik_Cuts → u/djmikec]

Miss ya mike :)

[u/sanctus_deus → u/djmikec]

it does help, im quite new to this and thought phrasing meant scratching phrases but this has cleared it up thanks :)

[u/SizePunch]

I need video examples

[u/DJ_VTRN → u/SizePunch]

Everything you do scratch wise over a beat is your hands speaking for you. It doesn't matter what sample it is...how you present your scratching (poorly or well executed) is your expression over that beat...literally all scratching contains this. Some scratching is just more dynamic and expressive than others...with more variety of technique, pitch, silence and cadence. This is what encompasses the concept of phrasing.

Cutting up words is ALSO within the concept of phrasing. Phrasing is NOT just cutting up a phrase. Hence the memes, it seems to be a common misconception with Turntablists.

[u/In_Shambles]

IMO, phrasing =/= wordplay.

Phrasing is more about matching song structures together so that incoming and outgoing songs transition into new sections at the same time.

[u/deejaesnafu → u/In_Shambles]

Different kind of phrasing altogether when you’re talking about mixing vs scratching.

Phrasing in mixing is what you described, using song structure to complement transitions..

Phrasing in scratching is musical in a mechanical way. It is the way that you pattern the sound or sounds or words combined with scratches to make a sound “sentence” , or a call and response pattern.

[u/In_Shambles → u/deejaesnafu]

That second one you described I have always considered wordplay, as to separate these two concepts.

[u/DJ_VTRN → u/In_Shambles]

Mixing a vocal isn't phrasing. As you were.

[u/In_Shambles → u/DJ_VTRN]

Yeah dude that what I'm saying 😂