How to be a DJ

I will tell you about my story...
I was 13 years old and I was in disco near the consol all the night to see the dj play. Then I started to buy players and mixer... and start! But also with school...

In order to become a great disk jockey (DJ), you must have an extensive knowledge of music, as well as the ability to lead a crowd. Charisma is a must, as is the ability to listen well and use equipment to make seamless transitions between tracks.

1. First, decide whether you want to be a crowd pleaser or a music specialist. Crowd pleasing means playing songs that would, most likely, hit the taste of the biggest number of people in any given crowd.

2. Obtain DJ equipment. You can become a DJ using CDs or vinyl (with a turntable).
If you plan on doing house parties and low level corporate events then, go ahead and get the table top CD Player But, if you want to go out into the big glamorous parties and play in the major leagues, then you should need to know how to work your vinyl.

3. Be economic.Most of your money should be spent on turntables and a mixer. Forget that other stuff for now. You can pick up a pair of Technics and a decent mixer for around $800.00.

4. Play around with your mixer and turntables for a while and get comfortable with it. Learn the basics, watch other DJ's, ask questions and make sure that you really want to pursue it as either a serious hobby or even a career because it gets easily very expensive.

5. Start small, with 2 1200's and a mixer (Vestax & Rane are good). Practice into your headphones and get comfortable with your skills. Mix with vinyl, cds, or digital files. It's the quickest way to learn how to be a real good DJ. Then when you feel that you're good enough, go out and get an amp, some speakers, and possibly even a Serato set up.

6. Learn about all genres of music. Often you may know of a couple hit songs in a few genres, but that is not enough. Try going to sites that try to help independent labels. Often these sites have songs that are free and therefore you are able to sample before downloading. Also, make sure you learn about all the hit songs in most genres, because those will be the ones that the crowd recognizes and most likely they will like it if it's a hit.

7. Legally download all of the music you think four out of five people like and can be danced to. By doing this, it encourages even those who don't particularly like the song to go with the flow and dance to it.

8. Play a song you think a group of friends might like. If eighty percent or more say they liked it, then you correctly associated the song to the group.

9. Develop your charisma. Try to be a someone that attracts attention in a good way when necessary. Also know when to step back and let the group dynamic take over. Constantly vying for attention will make people uncomfortable.

10. Ask a friend who has a party that you were invited to if you can do a free gig there. This will allow you to observe the crowd's reaction to you.

11. If DJing is right for you then begin to get a few small gigs at a price much lower than an experienced DJ would charge. A few ideas are a senior center dance in which you will be exposed to different music tastes than yours, a dance at a local youth center such as the Boys and Girls Club, and maybe a company gathering.

12. After the smaller gigs if you still want to do it then partner with a few people and start your own business or work for an existing one.

Hope to be clear. If you have some question post here!