"I want to learn how to DJ? What should I do?"
----------------------------------------------

The single greatest piece of advice that can be given to someone
starting out is -- PRACTICE! Many aspects of DJing are reasonably intuitive
and will present themselves the more you practice. The core of being this sort
of entertainer is being able to work your music. Learn your songs well, and
get your beatmixing down solid. A natural progression will start from there.

The hardest part about writing this document is covering all the
different choices available. From my experience and listening to other
professional DJs, I've learned that most decisions are personal choices which
only you can make. If you find yourself unsure about what direction you want
to take, examine both for yourself. Its not nearly as easy as someone telling
you "decision X is the best way to go," but you will be much more confident in
your choice and will have much less room for bad decisions.

The first few questions you have to ask yourself are common amongst
beginners, and they are:

o Do I really want to do this?
This may seem like a terribly odd question to be asking, but it is
something that you need to evaluate carefully. DJing requires a lot of
time, energy, money, and patience. If you aren't sure you have these
sort of facilities, avoid making any commitments until you are sure.

o What sort of equipment do I need to start with?
If you aren't sure about whether this is something you want to
seriously pursue -- don't buy anything. Find a friend who'll let you
use their equipment and practice on it a bit. (Don't forget to take
them out to dinner in exchange! =)

Once you're sure you want to get into this some more, be ready to drop
serious money on gear. Professional level gear should run you about
$1000 to get started. This will include either a pair of turntables or
a pair of CD players, and a mixer. You can use a home stereo as your
amps and speakers while you get started.

If you aren't sure that you're going to be doing this for the long
haul and can't drop $1000 for equipment, then skimp as much as you can
and save for the real stuff once you're sure. This means getting
turntables with minimum features (ie: Gemini XL-BD10's) and a simple
mixer. If you're going to spin CDs, this becomes tough real quick...
the minimum priced pitch control CD decks are from Gemini and cost
about $250 a piece. They are good starter decks, but moving up to
better CD players in the future is something to seriously consider.
Bottom line: Spend the least you can if you aren't sure. Buy the real
stuff as soon as you can afford it and are sure thats the direction
you want to take.

And don't forget to buy a pair of good headphones! You can get them
from Circuit City or similar stores for about $40 for a decent pair.