Re: Looping Strategies

["Sjaak" <tcplugin@scarlet.be>]

> Per wrote:
> I'd love to hear more how people use loopers to
> implement certain common musical goals. For example stuff like "making
> bass lines", "chord progressions" and "balancing harmony with
> disorder". One of the most difficult techniques in looping is to make
> the music evolve into orchestration and arrangement quickly enough.
> What techniques do people fall back on in order to make the music
> interesting listening right from the start?

Per, good question. I'm often struggling with the mid/end section when 
doing improv's. Lack of contrast, no climax, structure or arrangement 
problems...that kind of issues. On the other hand, my sounds are OK, my 
intro's too but I have to fall back too often using technical tricks and 
effects like fade in/out, analog delays, half speed, reverse 
etc....because it's easy. Something like "if it's getting boring" we press 
some pedals to force a change. Yes, that can lead to a new passage in your 
performance but it does not always work. Worse, sometimes you end up with 
a mess and you don't know what to do next :) I usually than decide to end 
the song using a fade out and start with a new one. Problem solved but it 
would be better if I had a kind plan or structure in my mind before you 
start the performance. A trick which does help is trying to add something 
interesting in your song every 1 minute...a new gimmick, catchy pattern, a 
kind of chorus etc. But I often have no idea how long I'm playing already 
and I simply forget these things :) So I need to think more about 
structure and come up with a plan for let's a 10-15 min Ambient 
improvisation.

---
Sjaak
http://www.livelooping.be/
http://euroloopfest.com/sjaak/
http://www.myspace.com/sjaakovergaauw