How do YOU use a looper?

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Arthur Slowhand

I use my looper after the guitar and before the amp, just to practice my timing and phrasing. I don't sing. I used headphones from the amp, so that (although my music room is tucked away from other rooms) if my wife can hear, she doesn't have to endure too many 'takes' before I get things the way I want them. She actually told me the other day that she thinks I sound pretty good - which, after 25 years of marriage, I guess is progress!

I sometimes make a loop and noodle over it, but I find I end up waffling and not really producing anything worthwhile. I have no desire to record and share anything... there's enough great music out there without me spoiling it!!!

This is a GREAT line, worthy of being a signature.

Tony

[JackB1]

Sorry but where is the looping in this video? I didn't hear any? Am I missing something?

Originally Posted by Rudy4

I've been playing around with trying to improve the quality of my videos, keeping in mind that I want to do it as cheaply and easily as possible.

It occurred to me to incorporate my looper into the process, so here's the result of doing that. The Youtube video details of the process in the comments section if anyone wants the specifics.

It occurred to me that this video also addresses several questions I've seen here in the "What does xxx sound like?" category.

Guitar: home brew mahogany size 0
Guitar pickup: K&K Pure Mini (no preamp - straight into the Street Cube EX)
Looper: ElectroHarmonix EHX-720 (set for short loop fade on stop)
Vocal mic: CHEAP Behringer XM-8500 (SM-58 clone)
Amp: Roland Street Cube EX
Bass amp: Fender Rumble 100
Recorder for audio: Tascam DR-05
Video: Moto G6 smartphone using free "Open Camera" app
Post processing: Reaper used to sync audio / video. Camera audio turned down so audio from Tascam DR-05 is used.

Feel free to add to this discussion. I'm particularly interested in how others are using their looper. I use mine routinely to do exactly what's shown here.

[MarkF_48]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Sorry but where is the looping in this video? I didn't hear any? Am I missing something?

Bass backing track behind the strumming(?)

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Sorry but where is the looping in this video? I didn't hear any? Am I missing something?

Shenandoah is done by playing over an already created loop. If you listen closely you'll hear the first guitar part and bass guitar that are started with my first foot actuation of the looper. The entire point here is "looping" isn't simply the commonly demonstrated "lay down a first pass and noodle endlessly over the top" of most of the looping examples on Youtube.

If you are listening with the tiny cheap speakers of a laptop you won't hear much of anything, this video or anything else you listen to.

The method I use to lay down the first rhythm guitar and subsequent bass part are demonstrated in post #13.

This is how I utilize a looper, and the comments on how others use one is my primary interest.

If the "looping" doesn't jump out at you then the use of the looper in creating the recording has accomplished it's goal. It's most obvious at 2:15 in the video when I stop playing to re-capo at a higher position for the last two verses.

[MakingMusic]

I use them as paperweights. The concept is great but, at least with the 2 different lopers I've tried, they make them so complicated I haven't been able to get past the basics. I really should spend more time learning to use them. Seem to have great potential

[Brent Hahn]

I'm not a looper guy, at least not yet. But my son is brilliant with one, and for him it's a songwriting tool. He'll sit with his Telecaster and a looper and an amp and work up a groove, thumping on the guitar to fake drums, and when he's got something he likes he'll record the looper output in Protools. He might do several of those in an hour or so. Then he'll open up new tracks in PT and replay the individual parts on separate tracks, export them and dropbox them to his buddy who is more of a traditional "songwriter" who uses these as the basis for a song (expanding beyond the limited chord changes in the loop, of course).

As a side benefit, since he started using the looper his time has improved immensely.

[sam.spoons]

I mainly use my loopers as backing tracks, much like Rudy4 (the OP). Both as a practice tool and live. For anybody thinking of trying looping, two buttons are so much easier than one.

Depending on what I'm doing I'll either use one of my Boss RC loopers* all of which have 3 hours of loop memory or a TC DittoJam with just 5 mins of memory and no ability to save loops.

Much of my acoustic playing is Gypsy Jazz and the looper is brilliant for practice. I record a full chorus of rhythm into the looper and then practice soloing over it. I pretty much always follow that paradigm as it forces me to practice the rhythm part at least once through, and if I don't get it right the fact that I'm going to be listening to my mistake for the next 15 minutes is a good incentive to do it again.

If it's live and solo I'll probably use a Boss RC with all the rhythm parts I need saved as, while it's nice to show the audience what you are doing by recording a couple of rhythm parts in front of them it soon gets a bit tedious. If it's live with the band I'll use a TC DittoJam as it can, with care, stay in sync with the drummer/cajon player (depending if it's the electric band or the acoustic band).

* I have a TC DittoJam on each of my pedal boards, acoustic and electric, a Boss RC-3 (with a second footswitch) in the Emerald X7 Gigbag, A Boss RC-300 as it has three tracks and allows me to play more complex song arrangements and which has made my RC-30 redundant (eventually going to #1 son).

The Gypsy Jazzer has a Bigtone bridge and usually goes through a ToneDexter Preamp into whichever looper I'm using.

[MrDB]

I have a basic Ditto looper. Like a lot of us I use it to lay down a backing loop then play fills and solos over it. I also will record just the chords to a song and then practice vocal harmonies so I can just concentrate on singing and not playing until I get the harmony down.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by sam.spoons

For anybody thinking of trying looping, two buttons are so much easier than one.

People keep saying this, and I guess it's true for some people, but I personally find it incredibly overblown. I've had two button loopers - they were fine. There's nothing WRONG with a two-button looper. But I'm so totally fine with a simple one button and a volume knob looper I can't think of anything more convenient (and more friendly to pedal board real estate).

My main looper these days is a Ditto - it's got a button and a volume knob. The ONLY THING I have to double click for is to just stop a loop, like when I'm finished playing along with it. To start recording, it's one click. To stop recording and begin playback, it's one click. To overdub it's one click. To stop an overdub recording and begin playback it's one click. To erase the last action you step on the button and hold for a could of seconds. The ONLY advantage I've ever seen with a two button looper is that you have to click one less time to just stop a loop from playing.

I have another looper that stores loops and it has all kinds of buttons, but I use the Ditto 90% of the time because it's so simple and convenient, and then just occasionally record one of my loops from the Ditto into an empty memory slot on the other one. And I occasionally play back a few from the one with storage. But I haven't actually played anything into that one since I added the Ditto.

-Ray

[Rudy4]

A side note to anyone who is looping...
Many times I'm setting up a single loop with a structure with something like 2 verses and a chorus. Depending on how much time has lapsed it sometimes occurs that my timing has shifted by a small amount, so as the loop plays you can sometimes hear that slight shift in timing as the loop cycles.

I've been playing around with using a metronome to assist with keeping the loop time and it does help.

I picked up a new Snark Touch metronome to experiment with and I like it a lot. You get 6 different sounds, the ability to use it visually without any sound, many preset patterns, and most of all, a super easy to use TOUCH SCREEN!

Strings By Mail ships these with an extra snap on cover (mine is the light blue cloud pattern shown...) at no additional charge.

[Rudy4]

Thought I'd throw in a shot of my new play area, including my EHX 1440 looper.

The EHX 1440 is a nice "step up" looper, with it's most important points being 20 loop storage slots, memory time of 23 minutes, and individual loop fade lengths for each loop. The display is more descriptive than the 720, with items such as fade times indicated in actual number of seconds.

The 1440 has other bells n' whistles like MIDI and pitch control that I don't use, but might be useful for other folks. I'm very content with the 1440 and probably won't find a need for any options other than what it has available.

I've also switched to a Zoom R20 for my multi-track recorder and the play pen now only has instruments That I have made.

[EZYPIKINS]

When I realized I was going to have to go solo if I was to continue to play live.

First coming from a 6-9 pc full harmony band, I was looking for a way so sound bigger than just me and my guitar.

Tried the loopers and harmonizers.

Couldn't get them to sound REAL enough for me.

Took the money I would be spending on gadgets, and bought quality PA instead.

Solo guitar and vocal, a bit of chorus and reverb.

All I need.

[Stratcat77]

Here’s an example of how I use a looper to take a lead during a song. It’s just a matter of capturing a chord progression on the fly during the song, then looping it to solo over.

https://youtu.be/L0Oq1hYe5iI

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Stratcat77

Here’s an example of how I use a looper to take a lead during a song. It’s just a matter of capturing a chord progression on the fly during the song, then looping it to solo over.

https://youtu.be/L0Oq1hYe5iI

One of the many perfect uses for a looper. A good example of grabbing part of the song form to solo over.

[birdsong]

I use a TC Ditto 2 for practicing and love it. As has been mentioned I use it for both leads and rhythm. It really forces you to step up your rhythm (if you spent the past few years playing alone like I have).

I have a Trio Band creator but have not had time to enjoy it. Soon after I got it a musician buddy asked me to rejoin his band. I guess that’s one way to create a band . (Although it’s more than 3 of us).

I enjoyed your videos Rudy. Thanks for doing those.