Looking for DJ classes? Stop! Hold on a second. Before you go and give your hard earned money to some dj instructor to give you DJ classes (or one DJ class) there are some important things you need to know.

See, a lot of new DJs run out and spend their life savings – or even worse, their credit card – on DJ classes that don’t end up helping them learn how to DJ. They come out after their last DJ class not being able to DJ that well and completely out of money.

Lets be honest. DJ classes are expensive. [That why I created a series of Free DJ classes which you can find by Clicking Here Now!]

You need to check a few things with the DJ classes before you sign up and throw your money down. To help you, in this post I’m going to lay out the common pitfalls and how you can avoid them below.

These tips on DJ classes will save you money and time wasted on signing up for the wrong DJ classes.

DJ Classes – Tip #1

The big mistake that I made when I started out was that I ran out, excited to learn how to Dj, and I signed up for the first DJ class I could find. I thought the DJ lessons were fun. We had a great time. After a few months of these DJ classes I started to get the beginnings of beatmatching. Eventually I ran out of money and couldn’t continue the DJ Classes.

Now that I look back and I know what I’m doing with DJing, I want to slap myself. I was paying some guy that had never DJ’d anywhere aside from his bedroom to give me DJ classes. And while the DJing classes were fun, he was teaching me all of the wrong things.

First he started by showing me how to use the effects on the mixer. This is something that shouldn’t be done until after the new DJ student (me) knows how to mix. Then he showed me how to control the speed of the record by touching the vinyl record with my hand to speed it up or slow it down. Any experienced DJ will tell you this is a big no no. It messes up the sound of your song in the mix if its all of a sudden pushed faster or slower. You’re supposed to learn to adjust the speed of a track with the pitch control (the fader) alone. Then this DJ teacher gave me some exercises to learn how to beatmatch. They were really difficult and didn’t really help me at all.

The point of my sob story is that you need to be 100% sure you’re learning to DJ from a DJ that has played the big gigs and knows how to teach Dj classes properly.

As a result of all of these bad DJ classes I took, it took me well over a year to learn how to beatmatch and mix properly. Now I can get my students beatmatching within 2 weeks. I wasted a year of my life because of the bad DJ classes I signed up for.

Dj Classes Tip #2 – Avoid Expensive DJ Classes

Not only did I waste a year of my life stuggling to learn how to mix with someone that didn’t know how to teach DJing properly, I also wasted a few thousand dollars on DJ classes. Thats right, a few THOUSAND dollars.

It adds up quick. A typical set of DJ classes will cost between $50 and $100 per hour class. Usually $50 for a big group class or $100 for one on one. And you’ll need 20 – 30 DJ lessons just to get to the point where you’ll be able to mix properly. So in person DJ classes can get REALLY expensive.

Online DJ Classes – Tip #3

To be honest, you’re going to need to spend at least $500 – $2000 on DJ gear and music to get started with DJing. With this in mind, do you really want to spend a thousand more dollars on in person DJ Classes? If you’re wise, the answer is no. Especially since you can find online DJ classes for a fraction of the price.

Our online DJ classes for example cost less than $50 and they’re more thorough that a lot of the in person DJ classes I’ve seen. Best of all -online DJ Classes, no matter which ones you choose- are better than in person DJ classes because you can replay the videos over and over again. You get to rewind the DJ instructor and practice the same things over and over. This is a HUGE improvement over in person classes where you don’t have the time (an hour) to do this.

Knowing all of this, if you’re looking for DJ classes in NYC, DJ Classes in Chicago or Online DJ Classes, make sure you find someone to learn from that is experienced and understands the science of teaching poeple how to DJ. Also strongly consider Video DJ Classes online as a less expensive and more effective way to learn how to DJ.

Whatever you do, enjoy your DJ Classes and let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!

And if you’re just getting started with your DJing and you’re looking for some Free DJ Classes with high-level DJs, put your email in the box below and click “Get Access” right now. I’ll send you a series of video DJ Classes to your inbox for FREE!

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If you’re thinking about signing up for some DJ lessons, don’t go anywhere! You need to read this first!

A lot of new DJs head out to buy DJ lessons, find some free DJ lessons or track down some DJ lessons online and the end up making some huge mistakes. There are 3 common mistakes that new djs make when they sign up for their first DJ lessons.

Falling for one of these “dj lesson traps” can make the process of learning how to dj take so much longer. Scoring the set of DJ lessons that are right for you will make DJing fun and you’ll learn how to DJ very quickly. But if you end up with the wrong DJ Lessons from a mediocre teacher your DJing will suffer. The Dj lessons will teach you bad habits and it will slow your progress big time.

So before you go out and buy a package of DJ lessons or Dj lesson DVDs, make sure you know about these 3 common downfalls of DJ lessons:

DJ Lessons Tip #1

One of the biggest mistakes that new DJs looking for DJ Lessons make is they go and sign up for DJ Lessons before they know what kind of a DJ they want to be. DJing comes in many different styles and they differ depending on the music genre. A hip hop DJ is going to need different dj skills than a house DJ or a top 40 DJ for example.

So before you go out and buy DJ lessons you need to decide on a few things:

1. What genre of music will you play? – The sub-genre of the music you DJ will change over time but as long as you start out knowing the broad genre of the music you like to play (electronic, hip hop etc) then you can find appropriate DJ lessons easily.
2. Whats your ultimate goal with your DJing?  – Knowing where you want to be will help influence how you should start as a DJ. Do you want to just mix tracks for your friends in your basement for fun? Or do you want to be touring around the world, making re-edits on the fly with complicated DJ software for thousands of people? Knowing this will effect the type of DJ Lessons you should buy.
3. What DJ equipment do you want use? – Learning how to DJ with Ableton Live DJ Software will be another world from DJing on turntables with vinyl. And DJing with vinyl requires different skills than DJing on cdjs. You need to know what dj gear you want to learn before you buy your DJ lessons.

Make sure you know the answers to these beginner DJ questions first and then find DJ Lessons in your city or online.

DJ Lessons Online Tip #2

When you nail down the style of music you want to DJ, the type of DJ equipment you want to use and you know your ultimate goal with DJing you can set out and look for DJ Lessons. But hold on, who are you going to get DJ lessons from?

There are hundreds of DJ schools and DJ tutors in each major city. It doesn’t matter where you are, you can bet that someone is offering DJ lessons. But heres the thing; not all DJ lessons are created equal.

The harsh reality is that a lot of the DJs that are now teaching DJ lessons couldn’t make it as a professional DJ. They never got to play any big shows. They never got to play to dance floors of thousands of people. Some of them even suck at mixing. Is this the type of DJ you want to buy DJ lessons from?

If you want to take lessons you want to learn from the best! If you’re learning about basketball, who would you rather learn from: Me (played B-ball in highschool) or Michael Jordan? Obviously Mike. Everyone wants to be like Mike!

DJ Lessons are no different. You want to learn from the best. And there are a number of qualified DJs in your city and online that had success with a DJ carear and now just want to give back to the DJ community.

I’m one of them. I won’t toot my own horn too much but I’ve been able to DJ all over the world. I’ve played with everyone of my DJ heros and I’ve made great money and had a blast doing it. Now I’m giving back to the community by offering FREE video DJ lessons. You can sign up for them at the bottom of the page.

Either way, be careful about who you get your DJ lessons from. The wrong teacher can give you bad habbits. A great teacher with solid DJ lessons will set you up for greatness.

Free DJ Lessons Tip #3

When I started out learning how to dj I didn’t have any extra cash. As a result it took me a long time to figure out how to dj. Years!

If I had paid someone to give me some DJ lessons I could have advanced as a DJ a lot quicker and learned how to be a DJ within a few weeks. But I just couldn’t afford the expensive DJ lessons…

DJ lessons in any big city are at least $50 per hour and you need at least 20 hours to know the basics. So how do you learn how to DJ without spending $1000+ on DJ lessons? Easy! You can start by singing up for our free video DJ lessons newsletter by entering your email below.

Then you can look for less-expensive DJ lessons in your city. Whats even better though is buying some online DJ lessons. There are tons of DJ tutorials online that you can buy for less than the price of 1 in-person DJ lesson. So you can say hundreds and even thousands of dollars on in-person DJ Lessons. Better yet you can watch these videos over and over again so its like you have your own dj coach giving you dj lessons 24-7.

Weahter you choose to find DJ Lessons Online or DJ lessons in your city you can get started today by signing up for our free video DJ tutorial newsletter by typing in your email adress below.

This series of free video DJ lessons on how to be a DJ won’t be free for long. I’m going to have to start charging for these videos soon. They’re really high quality! Don’t miss this opportunity!

Score access now before its too late! Type in your email below and click the “Get Instant Access” button right now:

Enter your email and click “get instant access” right now so you can score your free video DJ lessons!

I just saw this really funny video that someone made of Tiesto trainwrecking. Its funny because its fake. First Tiesto would never play “Scatman”. Second DJ Tiesto has been DJing for almost 30 years now. Do you really think he would trainwreck that badly?

For those of you that may not know, a trainwreck is a DJ playing two songs live at the same time with them going out of beat. The beats are not aligned and as a result the sounds of the two songs clash. See 1:24 of this video for an example of a DJ trainwreck!

Now while this video is funny it brings up an issue that a lot of new DJs will face. Whoever dubbed the fake mixing over top of the video is hating on Tiesto. A lot of people actually believe that its Tiesto mixing. The video creator is trying to be funny but he’s also hating on Tiesto.

The issue of DJ hating was touched on by DJ Steve Angello just a few weeks ago when he said “let the haters hate”.

While DJ Steve Angello should be a little more humble after he got busted playing a pre-recorded mix at Dance Valley, what he says makes a lot of sense. Let the haters hate.

One thing you’re going to face when you’re getting started with DJing is the haters. People will criticize and even make fun of your DJing at times and its just a part of starting out as a DJ.

It might be your brother that likes country music and you’re DJing hard house. Maybe its your parents. It could be some people at school that aren’t into the style of music you want to DJ. It could be some drunk loser in a nightclub that comes into the dj booth because his girlfriend wants to hear Ace Of Base or Mc Hammer and tries to fight you when you say no.

My brother used to make fun of the trance music I played when I started out DJing. My parents begged me to stop wasting my time with DJing. Some of the “cool” group in my highschool liked hip hop and made fun of the “lame” music I was DJing.

Now my brother is my biggest fan. He dosen’t love the music I play but he shows support because he sees me as a successful DJ. My parents are proud and tell their friends all about my wonderful DJ life. Those cool kids from highschool are now bumping into me in the clubs at my shows begging me for guest list. They all come around in the end and if they don’t, then they weren’t important anyway. Let the haters hate.

Now there is one VERY important distinction to make here. People that are close to you that give you constructive criticism or feedback are not haters. They are trying to help you. They want to make your better. The best way to help someone is to help them improve by critiquing them.

So if someone walks up to you in the DJ booth and says “hey guy, I’m an expreienced DJ and I just wanted to give you a friendly tip. Its early right now. Maybe you should play your tracks a little slower. Pitch them down and build them up later when the club is busier.” Even someone saying “I don’t like this song” can be constructive criticism if lots of people in the room your playing to agree.

Listen to these people. Give them your attention. Let your ego down. Listen to what they suggest. Process it yourself and decide if you will follow their advice or not on your own. But don’t shut them out. Don’t treat them like their haters.

So you just have to ask yourself when someone is giving you feedback, are they trying to help me or are they just trying to project their own issues onto me?

Like my parents. They meant well in telling me that I was wasting my time as a DJ. They want to see me succeed in they life and they didn’t understand DJing. As a result they were scared of me DJing and they needed to express this to me. They were speaking from their own issues and not sharing constructive feedback that would help me as a person or as a DJ.

If someone suggests that the style of music you’re playing may not fit the venus you want to play at, thats a comment that you want to listen to.

So take constructive feedback but let the haters hate. Once you have identified a hater just ignore them. They don’t matter.

Looking for dj lessons? I spend a lot of my free time cruising DJ message boards, online magazines and blogs to stay on top of whats new in the dj lessons industry and to constantly find new ways to help aspiring DJs like you that are looking for a dj lesson.

One common thread I always see on message forums is new DJs having troubles finding gear, learning how to dj mix and get their beat matching tight. You probably have or currently are experiencing similar problems and have thought about looking for dj lessons in your city or online dj lessons as well.

I see so many threads saying “I have been trying to learn how to dj mix for months now and I can’t get beatmatching“.

Here is what seems to be the standard dj lessons response: “Spend more time teaching yourself. It took me a year so it will take you a year as well. Don’t bother with dj lessons!”

Dj Lessons Are Very Important

To be honest these guys on these message forums are LYING! If you want to learn a new skill (like DJing), why not look towards resources like dj lessons that can help you learn it faster and easier like this blog or dj lessons? It doesn’t matter if they’re free dj lessons, online dj lessons or you find a private dj lesson…

Grizzled old DJs on message forums (who probably never played any big shows) will say “You don’t need dj mixing lessons… just teach yourself…. don’t waste your money”. Others will say “Just make friends with an established DJ and get dj lessons from him.”

Okay… well how do you find a DJ to give you dj lessons? They aren’t that easy to access. So you have to go meet them at the club or a party. You’re going to pay $10 per club night to get in a meet a dj mentor anyway. It doesn’t matter weather you are looking for dj lessons in New York (NYC), Chicago, Miami, Manchester or Mumbai! It will take you a few visits to get to know the DJ well enough to ask him to mentor you with ongoing dj lessons. Why not just use the $100 you would have spent on cover and drinks for your new DJ mentor and spend it on online dj lessons that will get you mixing like a pro dj TODAY.

There Are DJ Lessons Online For Everything

It doesn’t matter what you are learning to dj on.. there are dj lessons for everything from dj software such as Ableton Live, dj cd players such as Pioneer CDJs or vinyl and turntables. There are dj lessons in your area or online that will teach you everything you need quickly and easily. It doesn’t have to be expensive either!

$100 may be a lot for you now but you can make $100, $200, $500 + per dj gig. Keep in mind that your time is money. You can save the $100 and spend the next 6 months teaching yourself . Of you can spend the $100 now on dj lessons online, get mixing and playing payed gigs within a few weeks.

I say why not just save the time and effort of struggling to teach yourself and take some DJ Lessons or buy a DVD full of great dj lessons. Despite what the message forums say, these dj lessons – online, DVDs or in person - will get you DJing a lot faster and easier.

A lot of DJs forget why party venues hire DJs. Its because DJs are entertainers.

Having a DJ in the room creates a better, more energetic feel to a room than having music play off of a juke box. This is a fact.

So if the DJ can create all this energy, why is it that so many DJs just look at their laptops like they are checking their email?

The best DJs, the ones that have the biggest following and the most loyal tribe are the ones that let loose and pump up the energy like the guy in this video.

Okay he might not look cool because he is a little older and his movements make it look like he’s having a seizure but he’s doing his best at being an entertainer. You should too!

Do you like his dance moves? I was thinking about learning some of them myself.

Seriously though, don’t you agree that DJs that just stare at their laptop are boring?

Sometimes the simplest forms of advertising works wonders when you are trying to figure out how to get a dj job!

For more advice on Dj Equipment, Beatmatching, Mixing And Dj Gigs Get Our Video Dj Lessons Email Newsletter by Clicking HERE Right Now.

Having great looking business cards just screams out a DJs professionalism to his or her clients, competitors and most importantly, the club owners and promoters. Business cards are one of the best self-promotion techniques used to get your name out there and sell yourself, and the majority of DJ’s forget all about them!

Above all, DJs like you and I don’t have to spend money on professional designers, printers and fancy paper to produce great results that score DJ gigs!

On of the biggest DJ lessons that I came across when I was learning how to DJ is that these personal and professional methods of promoting yourself as a DJ are invaluable! Anyone can make a Disc Jockey business card, but here are some rules you should follow to get great results:

1) Your Disc Jockey business card must represent your entire Djing business and DJ personality through a small piece of paper. Make yours stand out from any other competitors by making them catchy and unique. A DJ with an attractive business card will always win over one with a tacky and distracting one with bright colors and too much information.

2) The most important and obvious information on your card should be your contact details! What use is a business card if the club owner, another DJ or a promoer can’t get in contact with you?

Your phone number, DJ email address and DJ website URL are always great pieces of information to put on any business card. The easier it is for a client to get in contact with you, the more inclined they will be to do so!

Most DJs don’t leave cards, they just squiggle their name with a marker on their Demo CD or an MP3 CD and this CD ends up in the garbage. Wheras a card says “I’m a professional DJ, I take djing seriously, I can rock your dance floor!”

3) When it comes to printing, glossy or photo paper is ideal. Try not to use normal printer paper; it is too thin and will curl up very easily being that size. Don’t fancy designing them yourself? No problem! There are TONS of free business card templates online that would be perfect for the DJ.

4) Put your business card inside a clear case with your DJ Demo Mix CD. This is the 1 – 2 punch that has landed me a ton of gigs. The CD shows them that you know how to dj mix like a pro and the card shows that you are a professional.

This little dj promo trick could double or even quadruple your DJ gigs.

Let me know what you think!

Of course, the first step is to learn how to DJ like a pro. Thats why I put together video DJ lessons for FREE to help you get started. Give yourself access right now before its too late:

Simply enter your email and click “get access” right now and I’ll email you the links to the FREE video DJ lessons right away.

So you want to know How To DJ! At the very least you are interested in DJing….

You have probably already asked yourself a lot of questions. When I started out I was asking similar questions:

Do I want to learn how to dj mix so I can be a party dj for my friends or do I want learn how to dj electronic music at clubs, raves and parties? Do I want to know how to dj electronic music or hip hop? Do I want to learn how to dj vinyl or learn how to dj on cds? How do I dj remixed tracks? How do I beatmatch? What gear should I choose? How do I get gigs?

I send out FREE video dj lessons pretty every few days to help new DJs like you get answers to your questions so you can get DJing quickly. Sign up for free DJ Training Videos by clicking HERE right now!

It doesn’t matter if you want to learn how to dj techno, how to dj trance, how to dj electro or any other genre of dance music… the LearnToDjFast.com video dj lessons newsletter will help you learn how to dj mix quickly!

The first frustration that DJs usually find is choosing and learning how to use dj equipment, dj software and mixing software like Ableton Live. The next challenge is learning how to dj mix and how to dj scratch. The last step is to learn how to become a party dj, club dj or rave dj. This is how to get and play dj gigs. This is all will have to do to learn to dj. This is your dj training!

No matter where you are at with starting to learn how to dj the FREE video DJ Lessons will make learning how to dj quick and easy for you. Get your DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!

Exciting news guys!

I have created some more videos to meet the demand from new DJs that are looking for dj training.

If you aren’t currently on our video newsletter, I send out video dj lessons pretty much daily to help new DJs like you. Sign up for free DJ Training Videos by clicking HERE right now!

Instead of breaking up the videos like I do in the dj newsletter, I have decided to put them all into one 2 hour video to teach you all of the basics of DJing. If you’re just starting out, this is the info you need to get mixing quickly so you can jam with your favorite tracks and get the gigs you want.

This two hour video can be accessed by signing up for the Free Video DJ Lesson newsletter by clicking HERE now!

The feedback on DJing Essentials: Dj Gear, Mixing and Getting Gigs has been phenomenal. New DJs all around the world are loving our video dj lessons!

Check it out now if you want to learn to dj!

DJ Training

Last night I treated some friends and took them to the grand opening of a brand new club here in our city. Despite there being a MASSIVE line up outside of the nighclub, we all rolled right past the line.

I love getting my friends into nightclubs and hooking them up with free drinks. If you want to be able to do things like this as a DJ, sign up for free DJ Training Videos by clicking HERE right now!

After the grand opening we headed to another nightclub where Superstar DJ Joachim Garraud from France was Djing. Again, getting my crew past the massive line wasn’t an issue.

I thought it was going to be a solid night out at the nightclub where I would groove while watching the DJ and talk with djs in training with aspiring DJs at the club. I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary.

I ended up getting BLOWN away by the DJ show that Joachim put on. The guy busted out this piano guitar (a DJ keyboard that was hung around his neck like a guitar) and started jamming out on it while he was mixing!

The crowd went nuts. Its so simple but its creative, fun and it takes DJing and DJ training to a whole other level.

While you’re learning to DJ, make sure that you get creative and take dj lessons on new instruments like a keyboard guitar!

It doesn’t matter weather you’re using DJ Gear like CDJs (dj cd players), vinyl turntables, dj software like ableton live, a digital and analog setup like traktor or serato. There are always opportunities to mix it up and learn to dj with different instruments.

To give you some idea of the possibilities for new DJs like you…..I’ve seen:
-DJs that sing while they dj
-DJs that play the flute
-DJs that play bongo drums.
-DJs that show up wearing ridiculous costumes
-DJs that rock the cowbell
-Djs that will bring their full production setup and create new tunes while they dj

The possibilities are endless. Do you have any cool ideas of different elements you can add to your DJing or that you think I should add to my DJ Training Courses?

Joachim takes the art of learning how to dj to the next level!

Keep rockin’ it!

There is one dj lesson from pro djs that I hear over and over again.

If you want to get all of the dj lessons that I have learned from the biggest pro DJs in the world emailed to you, sign up for free DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!

Its funny because some DJs will think that this post contradicts another post I made a few weeks ago called Djing: Its About Your Sound where I told DJs that it is crucial to develop a sound.

A lot of DJs took that post the wrong way. They though I was saying that you had to limit your music to one sub genre to be successful as a DJ. This is not true. Yes, you have to develop your own unique sound. But your sound can consist of as many genres as you like. In fact, listening to and playing different styles of music is the best way to develop your own unique sound.

Furthermore, you will be thrown into lots of different situations as a DJ where you will be required to play different styles of music that what you would like to or what you would normally play.

I’ll give you some funny examples from my DJing…

I’ve shown up to DJ at a rave and was moved to the back room where they were expecting funky house music. ummm

I’ve been told by the promoter to bring hard house music to open for Steve Angello only to show up and find out that the crowd wanted to hear Deep House and only Deep House. Hmmmm

I’ve been at huge dj festivals where I’ve seen DJs like Eric Morillo on after Snoop Dog or Mr Scruff and they have had to adapt and keep the dance floor full.

How about you!

You probably want to play trance, house, techno, minimal techno, progressive, electro, hip hop or breaks. Perhaps something else.

Did you know that no matter what style of music you play, you probably won’t be able to play it at your first few gigs… What do I mean?

Lets say you love Trance, you want to learn to dj and want to be the next Dj Tiesto! You score a gig opening for Andy Moor or Gareth Emery. Some big Trance DJ that you like. You will have to play progressive house / progressive trance to open for him… not the big room trance music that you love.

Same goes for house. If you’re opening for a house DJ you play Deep House…. and so on.

So the dj lesson here is that you will get more gigs and be able to play in all sorts of different situations if you have a wide collection of music.

Play big anthem hits all night? No… Learn how to dj with your own unique sound but you can still do this while dabbling in different genres of music.