Scratching... No Band Aids Necesssary

Scratching... No Bands Aids Necessary

Whether you are a fanatic of hip-hop culture or just familiar with it enough to call yourself a casual fan, chances are you have heard what scratching sounds like. 

A technique used by DJ's in the art of turntablism, the "scratch" is where a DJ manipulates the musical content on a song by dragging his or her hand across the record. 

The sound which was popularized through hip-hop music, is the result of the DJ pushing and pulling the record forward and backward.

Here is an example of what scratching is:

DJ Killa Jewel - Scratchin' on Battle Records

Video courtesy of vson11's channel

With respect to vocal percussion, scratching for beatboxers is the manipulation of sound by way of an individual's voice, lips and tongue (with the occasional aid of finger manipulation).

Scratching provides a variety for beatboxers looking to add something different to their routines. Apart from just sounding "cool" adding a scratch sound can add something unique to a beatboxer's repertoire.

Below I direct you to two videos of techniques which many beatboxers use in their routines...

The Vocal Scratch

The sound in visual form is represented by the word: Ibidi

That's right you read that correctly, IBIDI... it may sound ridiculous but I promise it will make more sense once you watch the tutorial.

Video courtesy of 80Fitz

The Chewy Scratch

Video Courtesy of MonkeySee

Both of these sounds are beginner level to intermediate level techniques; I will be providing a deeper look into more advanced techniques which I have learned over the years in future weeks.

Thanks for reading this week's post, I hope you enjoy!

If Your Mother Only Knew...

Rahzel: The Godfather of Noise

A former member of the musical group The Roots, Rahzel "is an American musican, beatboxer and rapper" who hails from the city where hip-hop's origins began; New York City.

While Rahzel's accomplishments contributed to a thriving hip-hop movement of the early 90's, there is one which remains as one of the most influential in the art form's history; the ability to sing (and/or rap) while beatboxing.

Rahzel - "If Your Mother Only Knew"

Video courtesy of Sean Thompson

What was originally a cover of Aaliyah's If Your Girl Only Knew, Rahzel's beatbox version of the late artist's popular hit demonstrated beatbox's creative new direction. The song was a hidden track on his album Make the Music 2000. 

Within the beatbox community, the song did more than grasp the attention of hip-hop fans; it served as the medium through which beatbox would gain a more respectable identity.

Aaliyah - If Your Girl Only Knew

Video courtesy of AaliyahVideoHD

In addition to this major contribution, Rahzel's reputation and musical resume extends beyond solo work and his affiliation with The Roots. Another song which can be found on his same solo album, Man vs. Machine is a song where Rahzel teamed up with another legendary and contemporary vocal percussionist, Kenny Muhammad.

The song, which is called "Man vs. Machine" has both Kenny Muhammad and Rahzel going up against a DJ Skribble and DJ Slinky. Here is their audio performance...

Man vs. Machine