Fun Stuff

["Steven R. Murrell" <smurrell@ford.com>]

Hey everybody,

Just thought that I would share something that I have found to be 
interesting and fun.  One thing that I like to do with my JamMan is layer 
loops that are in identical tempos but different time signatures.  If done 
in a certain way, the resulting layered loop will be a rhythmically 
complex melody which repeats itself once every time through the loop.  It 
helps immensely if you have the ability to record long loops (I have 32 
second expansion).

Example:  Record first layer in 5/4 playing notes or chords on beats one 
and three and play this for exactly seven measures (35 beats).  Then 
record a second layer in 7/4 playing notes or chords on beats one and 
three and play this for only five measures (again 35 beats).  As the loop 
repeats, beats one and three are coincident with respect to both patterns, 
but as the loop continues the patterns diverge and then converge making 
for a very nice sound.

I did this last week when a drummer friend and I were messing around at 
his house.  I played this pattern using chords on my Stick (as opposed to 
single notes) and then played other synthy sounding stuff in real time 
above the loop.  About ten minutes into this thing, his wife came into the 
studio.  "This is scaring the hell out of me" she said.


Try it,

Steve Murrell  -  Indian Rosewood Grand Stick #1202
smurrell@ford.com