Looper Trooper part II. I dare y'all, to post your own "looping video". Besides. It'll be fun to see what everyone's take on the topic is...

There's lots of hard and fast opinions on looping, and the use of Loopers. Abused, sometimes. But basically, looping is "on the fly" multi-tracking. Some devices afford us only one track, while others do more. Some really, really great players have done this to great effect, and some have actually revolutionized music and an instrument industry wide. We won't mention any names, oh wait, yes I will. Les Paul.

Each day, I mess with the looper function on my pedals. It's a different, cascading type of sound that basically slaps layer upon layer. It gives me a moment to try to create a piece of music, while simultaneously forcing myself to play a little bit differently than if i were self-accompanying. Basically, it gives me an opportunity to have a jam partner that never waivers, and I get to listen to what it is I imagine my L and R hands doing one day. Imagination. Creativity. Use whatever tools you have at your disposal to do this...

I created a little ditty, and while it's not the best type of music on the planet, surely you can see that I am forced to "make the best" out of what I have in that moment and try to be musical while mapping out the notes of the Stick "on the fly". Really focused improvisational practice, that I get to listen to right now. Not 20 years from now, but right now. Plus, I had some fun, and I have a whole slew of new ideas that I feel like I need to work on. Mistakes were exposed, and lack of knowledge brought to light, and I improved a little bit. In particular that kind of tricky little amin-asus2 chord. I sort of struggled with a 3note per string amin scale fingering, then I worked on playing it on a single string, then ascending Aeolian, and descending CIonian fingering, and I was like "Hmmmn, I really like how a Cmaj7 arpeggio sounds over amin, I should learn that..." so I figured it out, on the fly, just making things up. There's moments where things fall apart, other moments of just scaley meandering, but the point is that it's focused, contextual practice. No shortage of stuff to work on, that's for sure!

Now, because I loop every now and then, does it mean that I am not working on self-accompaniment? Hell no. If anyone has seen any of my posts, or looked at my vids or heard my music knows that I work like a m'f'er at getting better. All of us are, in our own way whether we loop or not. Looping's a tool, one I use every now and then.

Sky's the limit is what I'm trying to say... Gotta have some fun on the way up!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00xEzrhYzFk[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CHGBAsYAWM[/youtube]

I had the honor of playing this tune for Thom Bresh (who shot this video) last year at Interlochen. Thom is a legend in the fingerstyle guitar world and is the son of Merl Travis. He pointed out that the Chet Atkins tune "Jam Man" was named after the looper he used to play the tune.

[Yells at the crowd, "Shhhh! I'm trying to listen to Glenn!"]

That was really, really exceptional, Glenn. It really kicked up at notch right at 1:25 and never let up from there.

You had full two-hand mastery going there too, of course, and that constant drone tone from the beginning just can't be done any other way. There's no way you'd want to (maybe it's humanly possible) to play all of that at one time. Really great example of looping taking the Stick to the next level.

Nicely shot video too! Just wanted the crowd noise out! The last minute took us back to the opening refrain and was just a great ending overall. Thanks so much for sharing that, Glenn!

Glenn's stuff Is awesome!

Good timing for this topic Scotty, I was just considering buying a looper the other day as a "welcome home " present to myself!

Welcome back, Bruce!

So Scott, we've now got 2 Looper threads going at the same time. How about you talk about the philosophy and deepstuff about Looping and what it means to Sticking here, and then over here, viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11040 , we talk about specific hardware? Especially, since you have the experience with them as a musician and a composer, and I need (want) to buy one!

And anyone can post those awesome performance videos anywhere, although the hardware thread would be a good place to do some demo videos of whatever rig you all have. Cheers! --Steve

I use/used a TC Electronics ditto. Super simple, but so fun! My daughter has hijacked it, it's a great practice/jam tool for her guitar playing!

I really like the way playing with a looper kind of shows the potential for what my playing could be, if I were quite a bit better!

Here's where I first saw looping being done to enable one-man-band performances in real time, another Walk Off The Earth video (I'm a fanboy, I can't help it).

Quick tangent: These guys' 5-people-on-one-guitar take of Somebody That I Used to Know is how I discovered these guys, and is also still the best cover of this song (I prefer it to Gotye's original). I was also in a personal musical funk (not the good kind and one of the only of my life!), and was still recovering from cancer (long story--all better now!) and this band brought the joy of music performance and being an multi-instrumentalist badass back into my life. Then I found Stick and the funk is all the good kind now! Anyhoo...

Looping to enable the multi-instrumentalist:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ8nkJ1_Ee0[/youtube]

Since we are talking philosophy on this looper thread...

Scott,
Your practice video is exactly what I mean about my preference on tasteful looping. If you are using both hands in the loop and both hands in the playing over the loop, it has an additive effect. One of the detractors is that the loop can sound "dead" when repeated excessively. In those cases, it can be helpful to collaborate and have other musicians playing with you.

As a practice tool, it can be good. It definitely lets you test out multiple parts over the same base music. In this way it is a specific backing track, much like playing along with a song while learning it. With as many people that buy them, they have to have some value.

I know what you mean, Sage! I get really, really tired of a droning "thing" that never changes sections, or is just a vehicle for someone to solo over. (Lol exactly what ! would use it for hahaha)

One thing I also hate, is how a lot loopers tend to "build" their songs. it's fine for the first song to start with a note that loops. Then a percussive thing. Then a bass groove, then some vocal stuff... but when 10 songs in a row build like that I get bored...

The Chapman Stick; Comes with it's own looper. lol Human hands.

But I stand by what I said, a looper in the right hands is great, and I love it as a practice tool... Just my humble opinion! heh