What Does A DJ Do?
At first that might sound like a stupid question. Surely it’s obvious what a DJ does? They play music. They might play music at parties, in clubs, or on the radio but ultimately they play music.
Whilst the above is true, it’s a very simplistic way of looking at it and based on that definition, a DJ would be no more than a glorified human jukebox.
There is so much more to being a DJ, especially being a good DJ. The real role of a DJ is not just to play music but to introduce new music to the audience, to figure out what works and what doesn’t and to take the listener on a journey of musical discovery.
That is the true essence of being a DJ but it’s one that a lot of people might have lost sight of, or might not even be aware of in the first place.
DJs can wield a lot of power – the power to break new music. Let’s think about the dance floor and dance music DJs. Traditionally electronic music producers would want to get their new tunes into the hands of DJs so that music would get played to packed dance floors. The DJs would find out what worked and what didn’t, even which mixes of a tune were better and the crowd would determine what was successful and what wasn’t.
DJs would play unheard of tunes and would always be vying with each other to play the freshest beats, some DJs even making their own edits of tunes, either on the fly or in preparation for a set.
The information about what worked and what didn’t would get fed back to the producers one way or another and DJs could make or break a track and a producer.
A lot of dance music producers will play DJ sets from time to time and often the reason they do this is to get feedback on new tunes or mixes that they have been working on themselves – it’s like the ultimate focus group, where you get immediate feedback on your work from exactly the people you want it to reach.
If you’re learning to DJ and just starting out on your career or even if you have been doing it for a while then it’s worth bearing this in mind and trying to remember it, even if you are getting overwhelmed by requests for music that you don’t want to be playing.
To become a successful DJ, you shouldn’t just be playing a string of whatever the most popular tunes of the time are. Innovate, don’t imitate. Take your crowd on a musical journey, introduce them to new music but make sure you leave your ego behind and be willing to listen to the feedback you get from your audience, because without them you are nothing.
02.29.12How to Sing Better: Practice Makes Perfect
When it comes to learning how to sing better, the most important tip that you need to observe is that constant practice will make you a perfect or above average singer.
While it is true that there are some individuals who have been gifted with that beautiful voice, anyone can become a terrific singer as long as they have the determination and the patience to develop their skills. This can only be accomplished through constant practice.
Even if you don’t have a voice coach, there are ways by which you can train your voice. Check out the Internet. There are many software featuring breathing and vocal exercises that you can download and play on your computer. You can also visit your library or bookstore and look for music books with scores of vocal exercises, which you can sing while you play on the piano.
Discover how regular practice can help you in learning how to sing better today!
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