Before investing your time and money in learning how to DJ, you might be wondering if it’s not too hard to learn and if anyone can learn and be a DJ. Maybe you’ve already tried DJing and are frustrated with the lack of improvement. In this post I’m going to answer your questions on how long it takes to learn DJing, and what it takes to get there.

On average you can learn the basic skills of DJing in about 4 weeks. You do have to practice at least 2 hours a day on average. How fast you will learn to DJ will depend on your resources and method of learning how to DJ.

How long it will take you to learn the skills of DJing, will depend a lot on your resources. You have to learn the basics first, and lay a solid foundation. Learning how to DJ is not easy but with the right guidance, it won’t take very long before you are a good DJ.

Recommended: Club Ready DJ Course Review

The 4 Phases of Learning How to DJing

To give you an idea of what you’re going to learn and when you can expect to learn certain skills, I’ll give you an average estimated timeline of what to expect.

0-4 weeks: the Adapting and creating habits phase

Getting to know the theory and the basics, getting used to hardware and software

The first couple of weeks are very important. These are the skills that you are leaning on for the rest of your DJ journey.

In these first 4 weeks you’re going to discover and learn how a DJ controller works and you’ll get to know and learn about DJ software. You’ll also learn the fundamental skill of DJing which is counting music. You’ll also learn about song structure, BPM and beatmatching.

You’ll learn right from the start how song transitions work in theory, and you’re going to practice them as well.

If you don’t own a DJ controller, on Amazon you can find some good and cheap DJ controllers. If you want you can also check out my recommended DJ controllers for beginners.

5-10 weeks: Practicing and improving the basic skills

This is the phase where a lot of DJs give up. You’re going through a few weeks without learning anything new, because It’s practice, practice practice, and practice. It’s essential that you get through this phase though. The pieces of the puzzle will eventually fall into place somewhere in this phase. Once they do, you will start seeing a lot of improvement.

I still remember the moment when I successfully mixed two songs smoothly, the rush was unreal. It felt so good. So don’t give up!

10-16 weeks: Mastering the basic skills

You’re still just practicing everyday, but now, it’s much more fun. You’ll notice that you’re able to mix songs together better and better everyday. Your mixing becomes seamless and you’ll also learn something new: harmonic mixing. A tool that you can use to make your mixes sound even better.

16 weeks and beyond: Develop yourself as a DJ

After 6 months of enough practicing you could master all the basics of DJing very well. So now it’s time to build upon what you learned.

You develop your own style, improve your technique, get creative and learn some new awesome transitions. As you improve you’ll find that there are endless ways to explore your creativity when you’re mixing.

There is really no end to learning how to DJ. Even professional DJs still practice and improve their skills and technique.

How to Start Learning How to DJ

The best way to learn how to DJ is following a DJ course. If you don’t have the budget to follow a course, don’t worry, there are still efficient ways to learn how to DJ, when you don’t have any money. I’ll cover both of them in this part.

Why a DJ course is the best way to go

In the very beginning, aspiring DJs can be a little overwhelmed by all the information out there. You might be wondering what to learn first and what are good sources to learn from.

Because the first phase of learning how to DJ is so important, I always recommend that you start with a DJ course. When you want to learn how to DJ, it’s very important that you have some kind of structure, especially when you’re just starting out.

Recommended DJ courses

There are a lot of DJ courses out there. Some great, some average and some are just a waste of your time and money. I am going to share with you my favorite DJ course and after that I’ll share some free resources to learn how to DJ.

Club Ready DJ School

An awesome online DJ school that is owned by a previous club owner and DJ. This combination makes him a perfect tutor. He knows what it takes to get you club ready, even if you’re not aspiring to DJ live in clubs or at parties.

You can get access to the Club Ready DJ Course for $135. A great investment if you’re serious about learning how to DJ.

If you’re not sure, you can try the Club Ready DJ School free mini course. You’ll get to know the owner, Andrew and his style of teaching. After that you can always decide if you want to buy the full course.

DJ courses on Udemy

Udemy is a learning platform where everyone can sell courses that they’ve created. On Udemy you can find many DJ courses. It might be goo idea to visit the Udemy DJ courses.

Crossfader online DJ Courses

Crossfader is a good place to have a look and see if they have a DJ Course that speaks to you. You can find DJ courses specifically geared toward your DJ controller or DJ software, and creative DJ Courses. Crossfader is very professional and knowledgable, so it’s a good source to learn from.

Beginner DJ Lessons by Phil Harris

Phill Harris is a former wedding DJ that is now mainly a YouTube DJ. He teaches DJing but also a little bit of music production for DJs. He owns a beginner DJ course called: Beginner DJ Lessons. Before buying the course I recommend that read my review on the Beginner DJ Lessons course first.

Free resources

For those that don’t want to invest too much money when they’re just starting out. Here is a list of my favourite free resources.

DJ TLM: 4 Part Mixing Tutorial

Crossfader: How to DJ with Just a Laptop (When you don’t have a DJ controller yet)
DJ Carlo Atendido: How to DJ for Beginners

If you’re interested; I also highly recommend that you check out the following article on Starter DJ:

Learning How to DJ – The Starters Guide

Another Aspect of DJing

We’ve covered just about everything there is to know about learning to DJ when it comes to mixing music. What I haven’t covered yet is another important aspect of DJing that you need to learn. This is an important skill that you’ll only really need when you are DJing in front of a crowd.

Reading the Crowd and Song Selection

DJing is not just about how well you can mix songs and make it sound really cool and smooth. It’s also about knowing what your crowd wants to hear and wants to dance to.

You can figure this out by reading the reactions of the crowd while you play different songs and feeling the mood in the room. Now your job is to pick a song that enhances an already good energy and vibe, or shift a low energy into a good and positive one.

I’ve been DJing a lot of gigs now and let me tell you a harsh truth. The crowd doesn’t care about your DJ skills, the crowd just wants to have a good time. Learning cool tricks and perfecting your skill is mostly for yourself. So if your motivation for learning how to DJ is to show off your skills someday, you might not make it very far.

Reading the crowd and song selection is not something you learn in DJ courses. It’s something you have to learn by experience. Learn to feel and hear the energy of different songs and you’ll be well on your way.

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to other questions that might be on your mind. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

Can anyone become a good DJ?

DJing can be learned by anyone, and anyone can become a good DJ. You become a good DJ by learning to DJ from the right sources and having the discipline to keep practicing.

Can you make a living DJing?

DJing pays enough to make a living. DJs make a good income from DJing at weddings, in clubs and bars and festivals. Some DJs use DJing as a side income and combine it with a 9-5 job.