Re: On being complete nerds

[Robert Tichacek <snakedrill@earthlink.net>]

>once again, Looper's Delight is pushing the geek-o-meter way into the red.
>Now I certainly deserve some of the blame, but even I reach my limits with
>endless babbling about this and that feature about whatever the latest
>gadget is. Now I know you're all capable of much more enlightened
>conversation, so let's have it!

An excuse to delurk. Dammit, I'm not a geek. I just spend hours with my
computer, work for an insurance company, fiddle with gear, keep up to date
with the latest _GP_ and Harmony Central reviews...oh crap.
>
>1. How about this: What are the approaches you take improvisationally /
>compositionally in creating and building a loop? Is there a structure to 
>it
>all? And leave the gear specifics out!

Well, first on my situation -  I'm using guitar as the looping instument,
but I have no idea how to play it yet. I have some guitars for years, but I
just kind of bashed on them and made noise, so recently I went out and
bought my first nice guitar and am attempting to learn the damn thing.
Actually know 15 chords now, and sometimes don't even have to look at the
strings...
Anyway, I generally either go for the serious contrast in texture, rhythm,
whatever - recording an ultradistorted loop and then playing (ha) clean
over the top, or playing in a different rhythm/time whatever - or go for a
more static approach. This latter would be looping a short bit of chord
fragment+open string drone, then playing similar bits over the top that
change slightly, say by just sliding the fragment up or down while letting
the open strings drone on a la "I Can See For Miles". Effectively three
layers of information, plus more if I vary strum speed, phrase length etc.
as compared to the loop. And of course the subtle interaction between the
loop open strings and the live ones.

>2. Top 10 lists are lame, I know. But I am really fascinated by the way
>this list brings together people with quite different musical backgrounds
>and styles. We're using similar techniques to create totally different
<etc>

What I have lying around in front of me:
Flying Saucer Attack - Further
Miles Davis - Dark Magus
Dissolve - Third Album For the Sun
The Who Sell Out
V/A - Beyond the Calico Wall (60's garage/psych)
V/A - Pebbles vol.3 (ditto)
Lilys - Eccsame the Photon Band
Wire - 154
John Coltrane - Crescent
Hawkwind - Warrior on the Edge of Time
Third Bardo - Lose Your Mind
Amp - Perception
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
V/A - Incursions in Illbient (SubDub, DJ Spooky, Byzar, We)
Roy Montgomery - Two Trajectories
Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
Art Ensemble o'Chicago - Nice Guys
Popol Vuh - Aguirre
Can - Ege Bamyasi
Pink Floyd - Piper At the Gates of Dawn
The Creation - Creation By Creation For Creation

So much music on my desk I balance my keyboard on my lap
Robert T.