Re: Godel, Escher, Bach and Headrush

["K. Douglas Baldwin" <dbaldwin@suffolk.lib.ny.us>]

-----Original Message-----
From: SoundFNR@aol.com <SoundFNR@aol.com>
To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
Date: Thursday, July 01, 1999 2:12 PM
Subject: Re: Godel, Escher, Bach and Headrush


>In a message dated 30/06/99 17:54:21 GMT Daylight Time,
>dbaldwin@suffolk.lib.ny.us writes:
>
>> "Godel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter
>Great book!
>Tell us more about your GEB inspired music.
>
>DH's "Metamagical Themas"  contains an article on polyrhythms in Chopin's
>piano music,
>some of which are pretty involved.
>
>He's also done something about video looping, I can't find it
>in either of the above though.
>
>Andy Butler


Briefly, I write very simple "strict canons" as note-reading exercises for
my guitar students. The classic "strict canon" we all know is "Row, Row, 
Row
Your Boat" where each person enters in four-beat "phasing", creating 
harmony
and counterpoint from a single melody. The effect is exactly like looping
over loops in real time, and the challenge for most students is to remain
focused on what they are playing while hearing what they just played four
beats ago. The same problem we all face when jamming with a looping device
in real time!
    I also "write" for loops, creating preplanned counterpoint and "call 
and
response" patterns. Now that I've got my hands on the Headrush, I'll be out
gigging in a matter of weeks, performing some of this stuff in the Long
Island NY area. There's a long, boring non-story behind how I managed to 
let
twelve years pass between my first batch of looping gigs and today. Ask me
when you see me.