Re: Looping because you suck?

[Tim Nelson <psychle62@yahoo.com>]

--- Dan Soltzberg <d.ans@rcn.com> wrote:
> I will say this, I tend now to practice less and
> play/ live compose more,
> but I think it's made me a much stronger musician
> overall.

That's a big part of Mike Nelson's marketing strategy
with the Boomerang, the claim that using it "makes you
play better" in part because hearing
mistakes/sloppiness coming back atcha can make you
more aware of 'em, and will focus your technique.
<http://www.boomerangmusic.com/>

I don't think there's an easy answer to this thread's
question. There are just too many variables. For
example, if an instrumentalist 'sucks' because of an
inherent lack of musicality, laziness and/or
ignorance, then no amount of gear is going to fix it,
and you'll hear the multiple layers of suckage that
Dan and others have mentioned. On the other hand,
there's the Brian Eno paradigm by which someone with
undeveloped conventional chops, but with an innate
sense of musicality can use the available tools to
create for themselves a unique and distinctive voice.

Also, as I've mentioned before, using looping devices
can sometimes allow a player to sound competent on an
instrument other than their 'main' one; my chops on
flute are downright awful, but when I layer long
sustained notes, I can get some Mellotronish loops
that sound pretty darned good in a warped sorta way.
It depends on how you look at it; I can't really play
the flute, but when the instrument is extended to
include the processing and loops, I can get the sound
I'm looking for. 

Am I looping the flute to cover up my lack of
technique, or am I adapting the technique to include
an 'extended instrument' where the controls are not
limited to the embouchure and keys but include knobs
and footswitches? Probably both...

-t-

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com