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Looper's Delight
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>Although I have the deepest respect for Fripp and his approach to >looping, I suppose what really interests me is the use of loops with >a live band--you know, not just soundscapes and drones, but also >more rhythmical loops. However, getting these to sync up to a >drummer (or vice versa) can be a bit of a challenge, at least to a >relatively new "loopist". I just figured I'd throw this question >out there and hopefully get some help: any tips on syncing loops up >with a real drummer (the first track off of the Bruford Levin Upper >Extremities cd is a great example)? Right now I'm using a Jamman >(thanks Mark!), so the possibility of taking advantage of MIDI could >work, if it supplied a click track for my drummer... > I recall a Pat Metheney interview where he talks about playing live to a sequencer in his band, he said it was like having another band member that wasn't very imaginative, didn't listen, but had great time... The best method I've found is to have the drummer play to the loops, not trying to sync the loops to the drummer. Humans are (or at least should be) flexible, machines aren't, so it's generally easier for the drummer to conform to the time of the loop than vice-versa. There's no real magic to it, just make sure the drummer can hear the loop really well, you may consider a monitor just for the drummer, or having him wear headphones. Also, as with just about everything, practice helps a lot. A lot of drummers are used to providing the time for the band, so it can be difficult at first to for them to groove when something else is stating the time. Another thing is that it's important for the loops themselves to be in time, it can take a lot of practice for you to get to where you can capture loops in perfect time, some people I know seem to have this skill naturally, others, like me, take years to get it together. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Trenkel New and Improv Music http://www.newandimprov.com improv@peak.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------