How does looper start

In this lesson we will look at how to get started with a looper pedal and build up some basic skills. A looper pedal is a great way to develop your sense of timing as well as an excellent tool to help you work on skills.

There are many different looper pedals available with a wide range of features. This lesson will focus on basic features to make sure you can use any looper pedal available. To give you an idea of the most basic type of loop pedals available, to the right is an image of the Ditto by TC Electronics. You can see that it only has one footswitch which is used to control the loop functions.

In future lessons we will look at more complicated loops and functions so for now, all you need is the ability to record and playback which is possible in every looper pedal. Some pedals offer the ability to Quantize your loop which would avoid timing issues — but for this lesson we will assume your looper pedal cannot quantize.

Being able to set up a loop without having to rely on a quantize function is an important skill everybody should learn. If your loop pedal has a quantize function, I recommend turning it off for these exercises. This exercise will get you used to opening and closing the loop. You will start thinking about timing without having to stress about complicated rhythms. In this basic loop we want the chord choose any chord you feel comfortable with to ring out for four beats then end the loop so it starts the chord again on beat 1.

To create this loop, you need to hit the looper footswitch, strum the chord, count out the four beats, then hit the footswitch again at the very end of the bar. For this exercise, simply practice counting the beat out in your head or out loud. Practice this until you can easily count the beat out while playing and hit the footswitch at the right time. In this exercise we simply pick a chord in this example A minor , then strum it eight times to give up two full bars in the loop.

At the end of the second bar, we hit the looper footswitch to end the loop. If you time your footswitch hits properly, you will end up with a smooth loop as can be heard below:. Notice that the space between the last chord and the first repeat is seamless? You want your loop to end just in time so it starts right back on the first beat. Practice this exercise until you can confidently play the part and hit the end of the loop at the exact time so the rhythm continues seamlessly.

The most important part of creating a loop is to make sure the loop finishes at the right point. A loop pedal requires you to push a footswitch at the start of the loop, then again when you want the loop to finish. Suggested keywords menu. Account Cart.

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Digitech Looper Pedals [ ]. Price pending. Shop All Looper Pedals. All loopers will be able to record audio and play that audio back. The length of recording time varies from pedal to pedal. Those are just the basics. So a guitar signal or a signal from another instrument is sent to the input of the looper. The direct signal is sent to the output. The pedal may have a buffer, but the direct signal should sound unaffected.

We hit the record button, and the looper begins to record the input signal. We hit the record button again or the stop record button on some models , and the looper stops recording. At this stage, most loopers will automatically begin looping the recorded audio, continuing to do so until we hit the stop button. Most looper pedals will also allow us to overdub on top of the established loop. Some will even automatically go into overdub mode as soon as they start looping.

Stompbox-style loopers are the smaller type of looper pedals. These are typically comparable to other compact stompbox guitar effects pedals and relatively simple. I personally use the ultra-compact TC Electronic Ditto Looper link to check the price on Amazon to write lead lines over chords, to practice my theory chord-scale relationships and harmony , and to help develop musical ideas.

The Ditto processed bit uncompressed high-quality audio and has a single knob to control the loop level. This little pedal is awesome in the practice room but is a little difficult to control with precision live especially when it comes time to stop and clear the loop it will sometimes re-trigger the loop when I go to clear it. Though compact, the RC-3 is mightily powerful with upwards of 3 hours of It can store 99 pre-recorded loops in its memory and features a built-in drum loop machine with 10 rhythms and tap tempo.

Loop stations are larger units for more advanced looping. They offer more control with overdubbing, engaging and disengaging overdubbed loops, having multiple recording loops to record over, additional effects, and much more. Many loop stations can also sync up to clocks via MIDI to help with loop timing and effects if the pedal offers effects. It has two loop tracks that respond the same as the aforementioned Ditto, along with a master stop button to make stopping the loop s easy.

The decay knob controls the amount of volume reduction that occurs each time an overdub is repeated, allowing overdubs to remain in the loop permanently dialled all the way up or gradually disappear from the loops. Loops can be stored on either loop 1 or 2 for recall. Loops can be played one at a time in Serial mode, allowing distinct loops to be switched back and forth.

Sync mode allows both to be played simultaneously. The pedal featured 7 loop FX to further improve the sonic possibilities of the Ditto X4. Unlike other pedals, loopers allow you to create arrangements of songs that resemble a full band. While they might be more difficult to create solo lines for, these longer formats allow you to build a more textured, in-depth composition with multiple rhythm tracks and overdubs. With that being said, a verse and chorus is a lot to ask.

Stick to looping over just the verse or chorus chords of a song you want to play, at least until you get the hang of looping. If you need to, you may also choose to arrange a song into a shorter form to make it more conducive to looping. This can take different forms depending on the song at hand, but can include shortening the verse or chorus, rearranging the order of the parts of the song, or transcribing different instrumental parts onto the guitar to convey the gist of the tune on one instrument.

Looping songs is a valuable exercise to learn how to mimic different instruments as well as sharpening your arrangement skills. As you build a rhythm, try to recreate any other instrumental parts besides guitar. Looping over the verse or chorus also opens up the opportunity to play back the vocal melody of the song on your guitar. Maintaining a strong basic rhythm to your loops is important to help your audience pick up the format of the tune and make it easier for them to hear the vocal melody on your guitar.

Another key component of any rhythm part is the bassline. While many guitarists overlook basslines when playing with a looper pedal, adding one to your track can aid your groove and create the feel of a full band with just your guitar. To start out creating a bassline, simply play the root note of each chord as they change. The extra emphasis on the root will push your rhythm chords through the progression and increase the sense of drive and movement through the vamp. Chromatic passing tones and walkdowns are another great technique to create smoother transitions from chord to chord.

You can also add some intrigue to your bassline with rhythmic changes. Rather than focusing each note in the bass on the chord playing above it, build a simple lick in the bass that operates more independently from the rhythm guitar. Try playing syncopated notes, or creating emphasis in the bass on offbeat points in each measure. Take care to preserve space and movement in the lower register, especially if you want to layer multiple other guitar parts over the backing track.

Getting too complex now will force you to sacrifice later. Your goal should be to round out your loop with a clearer bass sound. An octave pedal is a great tool to use in tandem with your looper pedal. You can add other pedals to your signal for embellishments to distinguish them from your backing tracks. These can range from drone notes added just to fill out the sound of an arrangement to more substantive parts meant to emulate the sound of different instruments on a certain song. Using embellishments properly can strengthen the mix of your loop and bring you closer to the sound of a full band, rather than just one guitar.

Unlike more fundamental rhythm tracks, embellishments are often only played over parts of a loop rather than appearing throughout the whole track. This makes targeted embellishments a great option to spice up the sound of a certain loop without overcomplicating or muddying the mix.

Though he starts off with just a basic rhythm track and some chords, notice how Lemmo builds the loop up over time to include three or four distinct embellishment tracks. No single accent dominates the sound of the mix; together they create a rich, intense sonic palette. Keeping that aesthetic in mind, a few tips will help you craft stronger, more appropriate embellishments for your own loops. Too many ornaments can combine to drown out the central point of your track under a wall of atmospheric sound.

Different arrangements will require different levels of complexity, and you should always tailor your accents to fit the individual creation.

Secondly, use your embellishments to create an extra dimension to the loop — each track you add should contribute something to the overall mix. This can mean a lot of different things.