Are Tear scratches giving you trouble?
If so, you’re not alone…
One of my subscribers, Daren from the UK, writes:
“Hi Shortee! I love your 23 min scratch Q&A video and have been trying to practice with it each day, but I’m really stuck on the Tear at 7 mins, I can’t move my hand fast enough! Does that just take practice?”
I hear ya, dude…
Tears can be TOUGH.
Every scratch takes deliberate & consistent practice to master, but Tears are often extra tricky to tame.
I’ve struggled with Tears myself, especially those pesky Clovers. 🍀
Luckily, I’ve also discovered a few things you can do to make Tears easier to learn. 🤓
Here’s my top 3 TEAR tips to help you master your Tears… FASTER. ⏩
⚡ TEAR TIP #1: Tears are waaaay easier to perform with your dominant hand on the deck.
If you already use your dominant hand on the record, control disc or jog wheel you’ve got a head start. Lucky you! You can move on to tip #2…
But if you prefer to have your dominant hand on the crossfader, switch to the other side and rock Tears with your dominant hand on the deck to see if you can execute them easier.
If so, then analyze what you’re doing on your dominant hand and use that info to ‘teach’ your non-dominant hand how to do it.
⚡ TEAR TIP #2: Repetition is the mother of skill…especially for Tears.
Tears require A LOT of muscle memory.
They also use various parts of your hand in different ways, which may vary depending on the tone and speed of the scratch.
The more you repeat the movements of each Tear combo, the easier and more natural it will feel for you to execute precisely at any speed.
Try rocking 5-minute marathons repeating a Tear combo for 5 minutes straight.
Then take a break to rest your hand before moving on to the next combo.
*Bonus points for marathoning your other hand while resting!
⚡ TEAR TIP #3: Experiment with different pivot points
👉 ELBOW: Flatten your fingers and use your whole arm with your elbow as the pivot point. (Best for slower, exaggerated Tears)
👉 WRIST: Isolate your arm, flatten your fingers and use your wrist as the pivot point. (Purrfect for medium-to-fast paced Tears)
👉 KNUCKLES: Isolate your arm & wrist, bend your fingers and use your knuckles as pivot points to create multi-level hand movements. (Excellent for efficient & precise Tears at any speed.)
Ready to test these tips out on a dope new Tear technique?
This 2F-1B Reverse Triplet Tear is another must-have in your scratch skill set.
HOW TO REVERSE TRIPLET TEAR (2F-1B):
🚦 Start Position: Crossfader open. Sample at the beginning.
🎚️ Step 1: Push record forward & pause
🎚️ Step 2: Push record further forward
🎚️ Step 3: Pull record back to the start
That’s it! Just 3 quick steps. 💥 Easy peasy, fresh & breezy!
Once you’ve got the movement down, repeat it over & over to lock in your rhythm & timing.
I hope this Reverse Triplet Tear scratch tutorial & my Top 3 Tear Tips will help to ease your Tear troubles once & for all.
Hit reply in the YouTube comments lemme know how it goes! 😸
xo,
Shortee
ps → Ready for longer, in-depth lessons + loads more scratch skills?
👉 Click here to learn the Top 50 Scratch Techniques in the SCRATCH DJ ESSENTIALS course!
