How to Do a Crab Scratch on a Turntable

Turntable techniques are difficult to master, but you can have a chance at disc jockey stardom and be the hit of the party if you do. Crab scratch is one of the many techniques seasoned disc jockeys have in their arsenal.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Practice the basic scratching techniques you have already learned. You should be extremely familiar with basic scratching and how to fade in and out from each side of the turntable, as well as how to operate the controls on the turntable equipment before you try the crab scratch.

2. Go through the technique with only your fingers only on a table top. This scratch is named the crab scratch because of the way you walk your fingers across the turntable. Use your thumb as the spring and your fingers to go across one, two, three and four.

3. Start a sample on either side of the board and make sure the cross fader is set to that side. Use the technique on your turntable with a sample and get the technique down. Once you have the crab scratch technique down, take it to a party to practice and use it among the noise of the party going on around you.

Tips & Warnings

• Practicing on a tabletop first, before attempting it on the actual turntable, will help you concentrate on the move with your fingers before being distracted with the sound of the sample or other things going on around you.