Re: Favorite Five Threads on L.D.

[tEd ® kiLLiAn <tedkillian@charter.net>]

Hi ho! Can I post one too?

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "L.A. Angulo" <labaloops@yahoo.com>
>
> > what percentage of loopers go and play 100% improvised
> > loops or arranged premeditated loops on stage?
>
> > how do you correct a bad loop on stage,stop
> > abruptly,bullshit your way while tweaking or shoe/rack
> > gazing until u get it right?

It varies. I've gone through phases of doing all my looping live and finding 
my way as I went. Then I'd go through another turn of mind where I get to
thinking I should really be much more disciplined and concise in my soloing,
compositional thinking and playing and then swing back the other way . . .
or at least I'd try to. At times I've become my own worst cover band. Repeatable 
results (like in science) was the order of the day. I'm rather bad at it however.
It never lasts long.

Much earlier though, I went through a long time of using only live, real-time created 
loops. Then, about 12-13 years ago, I started to think "Been there, done that," 
and I began to use a sampler to play some canned loops of  "found sounds" and 
weird tonalities I'd created in the computer . . ones that I could never have created with 
just a guitar and FX processing in real time. 

I'd always play guitar over it . . . and these pieces would still be mainly 
guitar compositions . . . but it allowed me to broaden my tonal palette just
a little, and gave me a canvas to heave great gobs of noise at in a free and
unfettered way. Playing improvised guitar and loops over a just a few canned 
textures and oddball rhythms really allowed me to relax a bit, and it freed 
me to do the tiny little thing that I feel I'm more-or-less pretty good at.
I'm not good at everything let's face it. Few of us are.

About a year ago I tried to incorporate an Adrenalinn II into the set-tup
and toyed with that for a good while. I never was totally satisfied with 
the result live -- but I may still try it again sometime. Now I'm back to just 
playing live loops of guitar and guitar -controlled synth and sampler.
I'm back to where I was about 20 years ago. Noodling around in a
semi-disciplined/undisciplined manner, finding my way as I go.

I do not think there is any special virtue in doing one thing or the other.
The proof is in the music. Taking special pride in being a one-man- 
band is all well and good, but maybe a little foolish if you limit yourself to 
just that. Think of all of the other interesting musicians you might never 
get to know or play with because you don't know anything about musical 
etiquette or getting along with others in an ensemble. 

The same is true with insisting on only using "live" loops that you can 
create "in the moment" -- as though the music will necessarily be any
superior to something that had some part "canned." Some see some
sort of extra earned "bragging rights" in that. I don't really. I've been
in both places. The only thing that matters is the music itself.

I've been trying for the past year (somewhat thwarted by my left-hand,
burnt finger injuries in early April) to get back to playing more guitar
and trying to think of myself less as a looper who plays guitar than
a guitarist/composer who utilizes loops (among other things). I could 
think of nothing sadder than if my music's only distinction (when I'm
turning up daisies someday) is just that it had loops in it, or I used a 
particular FX box, some bit of software on some computer or another
(if I ever get around to taking the laptop plunge).

I've been looping (one way or another) since '81 or '82. It's a big part
of what I do and part of my love for making music and my appreciation 
for the times we live in (politically dark though they may often seem).
Looping formed a good part of who I am musically . . . but is not me. 
I don't want it to define me. If all of the electricity in the world ceased 
to function tomorrow. I think I could still make interesting music. I like 
to tell myself that at least. Heheheh.

It might get me out and playing with others a lot more too. I spend too
much time on my own musically. Other folks input gives you perspective
. . . even if you don't agree with them on some points. That's one of the 
things I really appreciate about this list (tips invisible hat to Kim).

Before I got on it, there were very few people that I was aware of that
were doing anything similar to myself (other than the famous Frippster, 
David Torn, Paul Dresher and a few academics, or so I thought). Even
my good pal Jeff Kaiser was not looping (per se) back then. I flattered 
myself (groan) to imagine myself so unique and alone in my little corner 
of the universe. I've learned so much since then . . . and I've made many 
many friends too. 

I'm no longer alone . . . and . . . happily . . . not so central and significant 
in my own bubble universe. There are other people here. Many (if not
most) make better use of loops . . and a lot better music than I do.
I am honored to be among this crowd and I even get invited to play with
some of you in various places. How cool is that?

As for bad loops on stage . . . waddya mean? I meant to play that . . .
over and over and over and over . . . . . A "clam" (wrong note) that is 
played just once may still be a "clam." But, a looped "clam" becomes 
an opportunity to make a discovery in unexpected musical territory.
I AGONIZE worst over single notes I played in passing . . . but seldom
over loops that "went wrong" any more. It's a fun challenge to make
someting "artful" and "satifying" out of the haphazard glitches that 
human error (especially my human error) induces and produces.

Peace,

tEd ® kiLLiAn

"Different is not always better, but better is always different"

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