The Live Looping Lesson

This one’s a labor of love: Premier Guitar just published my live looping lesson. Included are most of the hard-won looping techniques I’ve acquired over the last few years. I crashed and burned 100 times onstage so you don’t have to! 😉

The percentage of my life spent looking at this exact view is too depressing to contemplate.
The percentage of my life spent looking at this exact view is too depressing to contemplate.

The 20 audio clips embedded in the article were trickier than usual to prepare. Ordinarily when I record music mag demos, it’s simply a matter of plugging in a guitar, amp, or pedal and noodling around while trying to make it sound good. But here I had to demonstrate techniques that unfold over time, which is harder than it sounds, at least for me. But I’m reasonably satisfied with how they turned out.

My emphasis throughout is going beyond looping cliches and defying listener expectations. That too is difficult — by definition, loops are predictable! But I’ve been racking my brain for years, trying to come up with ways to bust out of the usual patterns. Most of my ideas appear here. Hope you find them useful!

Comments

15 responses to “The Live Looping Lesson”

  1. Double D Avatar

    Simply the most comprehensive writing on the subject I’ve come across. This one’ll require a few re-reads to absorb it all. Excellent work!

    1. joe Avatar

      Oh, you’re just saying that ’cause we’re friends! 😉

  2. Matthew Graham Avatar
    Matthew Graham

    I look forward to spending some time with this!

  3. Joe Gore Avatar
    Joe Gore

    Thanks, Matthew! Hope you find it helpful! 🙂

  4. Mil Avatar
    Mil

    You set high standards at PG, nobody expects nothing less from you now. I truly enjoyed your clips. Thanks

  5. bear Avatar

    Looking forward to vacation time to really dig in with the lesson–I’ve been meaning to really work on my looping technique and application.

  6. Oinkus Avatar
    Oinkus

    That is one nice rig for looping , it might help just a little you think ? I don’t see the sidecar , I thought you had one ?

    1. Oinkus Avatar
      Oinkus

      I meant the pedal controller dohicky thing?

      1. joe Avatar

        It’s the box on the right that looks like a second Boomerang. Same enclosure.

  7. Oinkus Avatar
    Oinkus

    The one you don’t have the volume /expression pedal Wholly Roller. Always on here in the very early A.M. while I am trying to absorb my first cup of coffee , I am not morning peoples even if I do get up before 7am!

  8. roberto Avatar
    roberto

    Great article. Can’t wait to buy a looper pedal and put the examples in practice.

    1. joe Avatar

      Thanks, Roberto! I hope you find it useful. 🙂

  9. K. Brett Hetrick Avatar
    K. Brett Hetrick

    Joe,
    I’m a retired educator & musician. These days, I mostly play for fun and personal satisfaction, rather than trying to impress the ladies (except for my sweetheart). I’ve been fascinated by the guitar since I first heard Bill Haley and Buddy Holly (around 1957)
    I’ve been reading your articles in various music mags for some time, and I’ve always enjoyed them, and learned something useful. I just discovered your blog a couple of days ago, and I’ve been reading the entries and listening to the video clips avidly. What a treasure trove of interesting data, inspiring ideas, and freaky fun! Thanks for sharing part of yourself with us, Joe. Keep on making music and letting us look in on your discoveries and adventures!
    Peace and blessings!

  10. Joel Avatar
    Joel

    Are you using flatwound strings on the loops samples? I really like the basic guitar tone. Great looping advice too!

  11. Wesley Frederick Avatar

    Hey Joe,

    How do you switch tones and stop/start new loops so quickly? Having done the loop thing with only a few tones, I am always impressed by how organic you can make it sound.

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