So you want to learn to DJ. Maybe you’ve always wanted to, and it’s finally time. Maybe you’ve seen somebody else doing it and thought, “I can do better than that!” – and it’s finally time to prove it! Or maybe you’ve been asked to DJ (or volunteered to) and now you’ve got to learn, fast…
Whatever the reason, a course can hugely accelerate your learning, and in this article, you’ll learn about the best way to teach yourself to DJ online, as proved by over 30,000 successful students.
We have over 30,000 students in 163 countries. Here’s what some of them had to say on our social channels..
Nothing quite beats that feeling when two tracks meld together perfectly and it’s you that’s in charge. Or when you look out at a full, happy dancefloor, all smiling your way – and cheering and stamping for “one more” when the lights come up at the end of the night. Or, simply the joy of sharing music you love, and feeling validated when others love it too.
DJing is great fun. We’re excited you want to learn.
Ways to start DJing
But what’s the best way to start? Should you just buy the gear and force yourself to do it? Maybe ask a friend who’s already a DJ to help, or try and learn with someone else who wants to?
Should you binge-watch YouTube videos, to try and pick up some tips of “how it’s done now”? Or, should you “go back to school”, finding a DJ school in your area that can help?
The risks of not learning professionally
Learning to DJ is going to be a big investment in time and money for you, and it’s also a big risk. What if it doesn’t work out? What if you get disillusioned before you really start? What if everyone laughs at you, and although you set out to prove them wrong, it turns out that they were right all along?
The truth is that choosing to teach yourself takes a lot of willpower, and inevitably takes a long time. Choose to learn from or with a friend, and you’re asking a lot of them with regards to their time (and their patience). And uncovering the gold on YouTube every time you sit down to practise when you don’t know where to start is pretty much impossible (you already know this, I’m sure).
Why an online DJ course is best
So for most people, the best course (if you excuse the pun) is an online course. If you learn online, you can:
Learn at your own pace, without feeling either held back or rushed
Do it when you have time, making it easy to fit your new hobby into your busy life
Do it from your home, which unless there’s a DJ school next door to you, is bound to be more convenient
Our Founder Phil Morse and DMC World champ DJ Angelo on set at Digital DJ Tips HQ, teaching students inside our course DJ Angelo’s Tricks & Transitions.
However, learning online comes with its own dangers. After all, at least when you’re browsing YouTube, the stuff you find is free!
Sometimes, online DJ schools can feel a little like you’re just paying for “more of the same” – something rushed together by the YouTube channel you’re watching as an afterthought to making those free YouTube videos. It can feel like you’ve got all the good stuff for free, and many DJs report that courses from these places can feel incomplete and disappointing.
To try to avoid this, when trying to find the best online DJ course for you, you should make sure that:
The people you’re learning from are well-known and respected throughout the industry, so you’re learning from the best
The course or courses you buy are proven and of high quality, so you can be sure they’re going to work for you
You’re not simply being sold a username and password – you’re joining a real community of students, a genuine school (that just happens to be online)
Why Digital DJ Tips Is The Best Online DJ School
Digital DJ Tips has been teaching people to DJ since 2010. As well as being the people behind the website you’re on now, which is Europe’s biggest DJ tech website, we teach 25 online DJ courses, and run the world’s biggest DJ subscription training programme, Digital DJ Lab.
We are also the people behind the best-selling book on Amazon on how to DJ, Rock The Dancefloor!, that has sold tens of thousands of copies.
We are all DJs – between us we have worked for Ministry of Sound, DJed at clubs including Privilege in Ibiza, had radio shows, and played countless parties in bars, lounges and at corporate events.
Only we have Jazzy Jeff, James Hype & more…
Our Pro Tutors, left to right: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Laidback Luke, DJ Angelo, and James Hype.
But it gets better – not only do we have reams of experience “in house”, but we also work directly with the biggest names in DJing. Want to learn from Jazzy Jeff, James Hype, Laidback Luke, DJ Angelo, and more?
They are all course tutors for Digital DJ Tips. Actual tutors. It’ll be them teaching you.
