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Re: looping or delay?
Quoting Ben <benoitruelle@yahoo.fr>:
> Can this be called looping? I guess not but cool anyway.
> Brian May teaching the use of delay for multi harmony guitar parts.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs87GuoOvYo
>
> A great way to learn scales as well.
>
> Ben.
Awesome video!
I'm inclined to think that all loops are delays but not all delays are
loops.
In general I think of a delay as an effect that happens without
allowing or requiring interaction from the musician. Most of us would
likely agree that a slap echo effect that dies away quickly would
qualify as an effect but probably not as a "loop".
I think "looping" suggests that the musician is interacting with the
effect such that music is being "layered". Thus, a delay that is one
beat long and repeats only once could be considered a loop because the
musician can play in time with it and play a current note against the
one just played. In the video above, the loop is on the order of a
quarter note and within each iteration he plays two eighth or four
sixteenth notes. In the double loop he has one period set at one beat
and the next at two -- 0% feedback. So, even though the delays don't
repeat and the period is short, he is interacting (playing in rhythm
and harmony) with what is playing back.
Since Mr. May is interacting with the delay and building up real time
harmony I feel that this demo would qualify as "looping".
Feedback complicates the issue since multiple feedback layers sound at
once, the musician/composer has more horizontal lines sounding
together that must "fit" into the vertical plan for the song.
What about freeform/aleatoric music? Well, the same would hold --
that is, the performer would listen to the previously looped material
and add new material based on the old.
In my current work (my first foray into live looping) I utilize short
(one beat) loops (100% feedback) along with longer loops (say four to
twelve bar periods at < 100% feedback). The short loop can be built
up very quickly and then while it plays (providing rhythmic interest)
I can concentrate on building up the longer loops. (I play tonal
music on Theremin -- since it is a monophonic instrument to build up
some loops quickly is an advantage.) The different length loops have
unique qualities, indeed.
I am new to the world of live looping however thought I'd share my
thoughts on the topic anyway.
-- Kevin