RE: memory and improvisation

[Kim Flint <kflint@loopers-delight.com>]

At 11:32 AM 9/24/2001, Liebig, Steuart A. wrote:
>an interesting sidelight - - and maybe one more in keeping with the topic 
>of this list - - is how to use looping in improv. if one is looking for 
>complete freedom and non-repetition (if that is one's definition) in 
>improv, it seems that looping can hinder that "complete freedom." the 
>very 
>fact that something is looping in repetition can be a lock.

I think that is a question of the looping techniques you have at your 
disposal, and the extent to which the tools you use support an 
improvisational approach. And the extent to which you have become familiar 
enough with those techniques to comfortably work with them live. looping 
definitely doesn't have to be locked with the same thing repeating 
forever! 
To me that is really the entry level of looping, and moving past that to 
solve the problem you mention is where it really gets interesting.

I think it is very interesting that Matthias, who defines himself 
musically 
as an improvisor and brought this topic up, is also the main inventor of 
the Echoplex. It is interesting to see how one affects the other; 
Matthias' 
needs for being able to use and manipulate loops in a very spontaneous way 
during improvisation has very much to do with why the echoplex works the 
way it does. And using the echoplex for years in improvisational looping 
continues to inspire ideas for the next generation of it. He created tools 
to solve his problems and meet his needs. Or perhaps you could say, he 
created a given set of improvisational looping techniques and then created 
the instrument to enable him to do it in real time.

Similar for my role in it, like Matthias I find I'm only interested in 
improvisation as a musician and it's been that way for me since I was a 
kid.  Maybe that common interest is why we are able to see the vision of 
the thing well enough to work together on it without too many major 
arguments. ;-)  Certainly though, I think that very tight focus on 
improvisational looping in it's inventors is what makes the echoplex the 
unique thing that it is. The tool is really the embodiment of our thoughts 
and ideas and techniques in answering your question, of how do you perform 
and improvise with looping?

kim


______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                     | Looper's Delight
kflint@loopers-delight.com    | http://www.loopers-delight.com