Scratch
Moving a track back and forth rhythmically with the jog wheel.
Detailed explanation
Scratching is a technique where the DJ moves the top plate of the jog wheel back and forth rhythmically in vinyl mode while opening and closing the crossfader. It came out of 1970s hip-hop culture and is an art form in its own right in turntablism. It is rarely used in club DJing. It takes a lot of practice and suits hip-hop and scratch performances above all.
In practice
Scratching looks harder than the first grip is: you put your hand on the platter, pull the track back, push it forward, and the crossfader cuts in between. The difficult part is not the movement, it is the timing — a scratch has to sit in the bar like everything else. For a house or techno set you will never need it; for hip-hop and open format it is basic craft.
Assessment by the DJLearn editorial team — experience, not a sourced factual claim.
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