Re: "Live Looping"

["lol c" <testtubemicro@hotmail.com>]

I know to a point i may be saying what others have basically said, im not 
sure, i just feel i need to verbalise my views on this subject.

>From the way the thread is now moving Im getting the idea that this "is  
looping a style/genre"  thing is now coming partialy from the point of 
view 
that if you can call it a style you can talk to prospective gig bookers or 
audiences about it etc.

  This is the area that Im now going to talk about (cos I know there are 
others where this may or may not apply).

  It is my standpoint now that the emphasis and description that you place 
on the looping element of your music may well largly depend on how you use 
the loops.
  In other words if the Loops themselves are the most interesting and 
moving 
part of your show,you want to , and have every right to draw attention to 
them. (in this case I would say personally that I was using the Looping 
Style as I am effectivly creating the music within the perameters of 
repetition as the most key element)
  If however your loops form a bed for instance , of precussion, that you 
then play chords and sing a song over (say like howie day), you are 
basically using the Looping Technique (using the loop samlper as an extra 
instrument that could also be done with bongos if you happened to have 
another person lets say), rather then the looping style, and you are doing 
this because it is a good effect that complements another more important 
(to 
you) part of your music, in this case lets say singer songwriing.

I guess to progress this to its next natural step you could then say that 
if 
you had recorded an album that was made from the point of view of 
exploreing 
the possibilitys and sounds inherent of the Looping tools that are 
available 
, you would then be talking about the Looping Genre, I would seperate this 
again from an album that could be made using the exact same tools but not 
BECAUSE of the tools I.E. the artist placed another part of the music as 
more important, (lets say he wanted to make an album of Jazz but did so 
with 
his Loopers, to this guy he has made a Jazz album that would sit in the 
Jazz 
Genre but that was made using the Looping Technique)

I will therefore conclude that Looping is mostly a Technique, a 
sub-catagory 
of this would be that it is a tool in the same way that any effect that is 
applyed in a studio for a particular reason is a tool,(but obviously you 
could get a whole buch of musicians to play over and over again so this is 
not an exclusive phrase).
Looping can be seen next as a Style due to the fact that it has an 
inherent 
sonic quality to it that can be identified through listening even though 
it 
crosses cross the borders of blues, jazz, rock etc.
Finally to some artists who dedicate there time to the persuit of using 
loops as their MAIN form of musical reasoning you can say that looping to 
them and for their music Looping is a Genre.

I know as a reletivly "outsider" persuit we are having difficultys in 
getting our heads around these things, but i think it is worth baring in 
mind this is not exclusive to Looping, its just that we seem more 
determined 
to search for a SINGLE answer,

  Im sure there are some areas that are flawed in this little thought 
burst, 
if you have any comments please let me know as responding to them may help 
further my understanding, Im 23, Ive been looping for just over a year, I 
know NOTHING, but I think the road to enlightenment maybe a long and 
incredebly fun one.

Good luck to all of you on all your journeys

Phill Wilson

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