Is It Hard to Become a DJ?

3 min read
21 February 2023

Being a DJ is easy—or, at least, that’s what it may seem like to the uninitiated. If you’re a frequent patron of clubs and music festivals, you might think that all a DJ does is press play on a digital music player. But don’t be fooled. Top DJs like Rob Wegner have spent hours perfecting their craft and enriching their knowledge in music to get where they are today.

Rob WegnerThe journey to becoming a DJ

  • Understand your role

What does a disc jockey really do? Rather than just pressing play on a pre-recorded track, the main role of a DJ is to entertain the crowd and keep the energy up. You can do this by selecting songs that fit the mood, whether you’re spinning at a local dance club, a beach wedding, or even a music festival.

DJs are also expected to keep the music going. This means choosing and mixing tracks that blend, speeding up or slowing down their tempos to create an endless flow. 

  • Go out of your comfort zone.

One thing about DJing is that it’s not limited to a single genre. Instead, DJs must continuously enhance their music knowledge, listening to everything from rock to jazz and, of course, pop. This knowledge can help you select the right tracks according to the crowd you’re working with, ensuring that you can successfully keep the mood up.

  • Polish your skills

DJs, like any other musician, have to work with a set of equipment in order to make music. This includes tools such as turntables, digital controllers, headphones, and CDJs. If you want to take things old-school, you can even learn to DJ with vinyl records instead of digital music.

To become a good DJ, you will need to practice using these tools and programs consistently. Moreover, you must master techniques such as scratching, beat matching, transitioning, and changing the tempo of different tracks.

So, how hard is it to become a world-class DJ? Ultimately, it depends on your drive. You can master the basics and start spinning at your gigs with a little patience and the guidance of experienced DJs like Rob Wegner.

About The Author:

Rob Wegner, a DJ & Music Producer official website, is also known as Rob Wegner DJ or DJ Rob Wegner. He is an American open-format DJ and music producer known for establishing the world’s first college-accredited DJ degree at Scottsdale Community College (SCC). He was born in Chicago and learned to DJ at age 18 by drumming over a DJ at a popular east coast nightclub. He has a Master of Arts degree in political science. Rob was selected as one of the world's 36th most influential Club DJs in 2002 by DJ Reporter Magazine.

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