Re: Using pre-recorded material in performance

[ArsOcarina@aol.com]

Hi all,

As an occasional user of pre-recorded material 
I thought I'd pipe in with an opinion. As far as 
using stuff that's pre-recorded in a "live" 
situation goes -- I can take it or leave it. As 
long as the outcome is creatively interesting
for me -- as a performer or an audience member
-- it's all in what the end result actually IS.
Does it MOVE me in some way?

The sort of pre-recorded stuff I use tends to
be "canned" loops of material that I've created in 
the studio (or my living room, or garage, depending)
on a Mac computer and downloaded to a simple Boss
SP-303 sample player. I now have a vast collection
of this sort of material and it's fun to create this stuff.

As a guitar player with only very limited skills as 
a rhythmatist (and even less as a singer/vocalist 
of any sort in a performance context) I'll often 
reach over and trigger different loops by pressing 
buttons on the SP-303 -- in full view of the audience
-- and turn on and off individual and multiple loops.

Sometimes these are textural and atmospheric,
sometimes spoken word stuff. Sometimes it's very
conventionally rhythmic percussive stuff (drums 
and bass). I don't always push the same buttons
and my timing (and therefore the synchonicity
of these loops) is left up to whatever happens
at the time. It is not sequenced or anything so 
there is still a "live" element to it. So, I do not 
feel this is an invalid musical performance activity.

However, once upon a time I used to loop and improvise 
totally and exclusively live -- never the same thing
twice. I was almost religious about it. That was also 
a very freeing time for me too. But, I discovered
that by always "making it up as I went along" I began 
to feel I was missing out on some discipline too.

Learning how to repeat myself (as in learning how 
to play the improvised tunes from my own CD)
has made me a better musician I think. Learning
how to toss in to the live looping mix an occasional
"canned" loop has also sharpened my skills. Sometimes
using a "canned" loop to start a piece and to fit my
"live" loops to it has sharpened other skills.

I usually don't get too much negative feedback from
audiences. I've been lucky. I've also been largely inactive.
I am very picky about what gigs I set myself up for. 
So, I don't gig constantly like a Top-40 cover band 
would. Perhaps that would be a useful experience 
for me. I don't know. It's just not an area I'm interested
in exploring. Besides, I'm a soft-around-the-middle (slightly 
overweight) 51-year-old white guy. Who'd care? If I'm 
going to face general indifference I might as well face 
it boldly and creatively for doing something I like.

I have had mild criticism from some corners of the loop
community (at festivals) for using "canned" loops. But
I figure that I myself used to hold the same opinions 
that the ones commenting hold -- and I changed. 
Perhaps they'll open up too one day. It's all good -- 
mostly.

I worry more than anything else about some of those
initial questions. Does what I am doing MOVE me -- or
anyone else for that matter? That's how I pass 
judgment on myself and any of my "creative" 
activities. What else is there?

I hope this missive wasn't too muddle-headed and sleepy
on this Sunday morning. I mean well.

Best regards,

tEd ® kiLLiAn

http://www.pfmentum.com/flux.html
http://www.CDbaby.com/cd/tedkillian
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http://www.garageband.com/artist/ArsOcarina
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