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Re: Why...?



I've been lurking and posting here long enough that this list deserves at least an introduction from me, and this is a nice vehicle for doing so :)

On Oct 21, 2011, at 10:45 PM, william middlemiss wrote:

Why do you 'loop'? What got you started on this path?

I started looping as a way to re-engange with music after a very very long absence. Maybe almost 20 years? I was concerned that I might have lost all ability so I thought a simple looper might help. My sights were set low, I just wanted to get back some chops and not embarrass myself in front of real people.

So, I knew Mark Hamburg, and that he was a longtime looper, so I consulted with him, and he did his best to help, but looping is a hard thing to counsel I think ! I went back and forth and back and forth... He must have laughed as he watched me stumble from my first attempt (Jam Man Stereo, 3 days then returned) to a Line6 JL4, and on to the EDP and beyond.... I had thought the JL4 would be the perfect thing to get me back into the game, but it just felt like a karaoke machine to me. It's going on eBay one of these days for sure... I've always played original music, so 'jamming along with the blues' has never been very satisfying, looper or not. 

Anyway, after considerable research, I jumped in deep and acquired an EDP and found something special... sure, it could help me with my chops by accompanying me and all, and it did that, but more importantly it raised the bar considerably: it pushed me into places where I've never been, surprising me and challenging me along the way... just looping my own stuff is boring... interacting with the EDP is an adventure. More like a saxophone than a tape recorder, I really consider it a distinct musical instrument. Later I bought an LP-1 from Mark, and really enjoyed adding it to the fray... it's like having a backup band for the EDP... !

I have also acquired a Repeater, ostensibly to use for vocal loops, but I've had zero time to even begin that exploration... and I am among those awaiting an LP2 as well - so we will see :)

Looping with the EDP and the LP-1 has been great. At my age, it's hard to 'get a band together,' and really I have little tolerance for the foibles of actual people anymore anyway - !! So it's a great way to make what I consider to be original,  adult music, but it fits into the outrageous demands of my adult life.... and it is a constant intellectual pursuit as well.... my wife sometimes jokes, "Whatever happened to picking up the guitar and playing a freaking song?" but what gets me going is listening to what Andre LaFosse or Bill Walker or any number of you are doing... and then chasing that and seeing what happens... this keeps my brain alive, and hopefully will keep Alzheimers at bay :)

Thanks all of you at Looper's Delight for informing this process and answering (or not) my naive questions along the way :)

Phil :)