Looping Strategies

[Jah Jast <jast81@yahoo.com>]

First of all sorry for my Pidgin English.
I'm gonna be unpopular i'm sure but here is some thoughts about Looping. 

At the first Stade the aspiring Looper is animated by what i would call 
"the syndrome of the One Man Band" .
More than Ego (though it is a bit) this is often a problem of lack of 
confidence along with technique which leads him here.(Tracy Chapman can do 
a great Song with just an acoustic guitar and 3 or 4 chords no more...)
The loop strategy here consists in Layering part onto part and try to 
simulate a band.
Soon he realizes that as fun as it is,it is a sterile way.
Then he tends now to become a kind of "Sound Designer".This is the second 
Stade.The cause here is often a problem of lack of Inspiration,if the one 
of technique is now improved...
Accumulate all type of effects is now the Quest.The goal is to sound like 
a synthesizer even if he plays flute.The loop strategy is now again 
Layering part onto part onto part....But to be convincing,that requires 
time (and patience for listeners)...
And you are stuck in a "vertical motion" (which is not the case with a 
Synthesizer.)
This is why i have some problems with the layering Concept.
Every time i listen to Loopers (less and less) i play briefly the 
begining,the middle,and the end of the track and if i can notice the same 
loop there and there, then i quit... 
I really appreciate an approach like the one of Dennis Moser for example 
and incidentally he uses (very) long Delays more than "pure" Loops, if i'm 
not wrong.Indeed the horizontal Motion is saved here and Layering and 
effect processings are not constrictings.
In fact, i bielieve that a good way to understand WHAT is Looping is to 
begin to work with short delays and little by little ending with long and 
finally,conventional Loop techniques.
The survey of Krispen Hartung was necessary cause it reminds us that first 
we pretend to be Musicians, not "Mad professors" and there is a lot of 
work to do on our Instrument.

PS: I'm a born Bass Player,and i don't intend to shift to Guitar for the 
sake of Looping (no offence).Thanks.