More on the perils of live looping

[Andre LaFosse <altruist@altruistmusic.com>]

Good points made by everyone here...  a few additional ideas that come
to my mind:

It's really useful to learn how to "steer" your looping in a particular
direction.  This applies both in general musical terms (i.e. being able
to hear complementary notes/harmonies/rhythms to add to whatever is
already in the loop) and in specific technical terms as well -- the
finer points of the particular gear you're looping with, and what it can
(and can't) do.  

Exploring the deeper technical points of your looper is a good way of
becoming more fluid and authoriative with the unit, and it also can help
steer an improv in a specific direction, by helping you to focus on one
or two particular techniques.  Feedback, loop volume, insertmode=replace
(on an EDP), tempo/pitch change (on a Repeater), multiply, undo... these
are all hugely powerful tools that can turn a ho-hum loop into something
really special (or vica versa!)  

Try practicing by specifically isolating a small number of looping
features, and see how much milage you can squeeze out of them.  If
you're used to using a lot of effects processing in your rig, try
removing everything except the looper and the input instrument, and find
ways of cultivating musical interest without anything else in the signal
chain (this has been a huge help for me personally).

Like Steve, I actually find it easier in some ways to loop in front of a
live audience, or when I'm recording.  Doing it at home on my own time,
without an audience or rolling tape/disk, is more relaxed, but perhaps
for that very reason I have a harder time focusing on the stuff as a
specific musical event right then and there.  Specifically sitting down
and recording what I do as I practice at home is really helpful to me,
because it forces me to think in a very immediate mindset, in terms of
creating a cohesive statement right then and there.  (It's also useful
to be able to listen back after the fact.)

I think a big part of learning how to loop successfully (whether live or
otherwise) involves being open to the idea of NOT necessarily being in
complete control all the time... but rather being open to mistakes and
random musical events, and then cultivating enough technique to be able
to steer those random, serendipitous events into a particular direction.

That said, though, a lot of the "peril" of looping stems from the
fundamental "peril" of improvising, I think.  And as such, there are
always going to be some that don't quite get off the ground.  

I also agree with the general attitude about doing several shows as
practice, and would agree with Steve's idea that a low-key coffeehouse
environment can be a good way to go.  I sympathize with David
Beardsley's comment about Steve Sandburg (or anyone else) being a
professional...  

I guess my answer would be that sometimes it can be in a professional's
interest to forego a bit of payment in the short term, in the interest
of cultivating a solid foundation of experience.  You might think of
potential income lost on doing a free gig as payment for the chance to
do your thing in front of an audience -- one of the very best lessons
you can get when learning how to implement technology into your live
routine.  Doing free shows can be a good way of building up a group of
listeners, and of introducing your music to people who might not take a
chance on seeing it if you're doing a paying gig.  

And there's also the idea that someone shouldn't necessarily expect
payment for a service (i.e. looping) until they've actually got a solid,
professional grasp on that service, and feel confident in being able to
deliver in such a way.  Of course, none of this is a reflection on any
specific people here; I say all of this in a very generalized sense. 
(David, do you have any specific examples you could offer of how to
cultivate paying work in the microtonal performance realm?  That would
probably apply to looping work...)

Anyway...

--Andre LaFosse
http://www.altruistmusic.com