Creative Looping Handbook

In Section 1, I'll be taking you through the various aspects of looping. I'll talk about the types of pedals available, the signal chain, pedal functions, and give an overview and definition of what "phrase looping" is.

I'll also show you how to create a timing guide if you’re using a looper pedal without any pre-recorded grooves. This will help you get up and running fast with a solid base for future loop recording.

What is phrase looping?

Well, phrase looping is the recording of your musical ideas into a pedal based recording system that plays back through your guitar amp, studio monitors, or PA system. You can record and overdub multi-layered parts for instant live playback.

Looper pedals are ideal practice tools:

Want to work on your Mixolydian chops by jamming over a bluesy A13 chord vamp? Simply play and record your progression into the looper in the key you want at the perfect tempo.

Working out your song arrangements and studio overdubs? Play and record your parts into the looper by layering them in sequence to hear how they work together. If you don't like the part you played, you can use the undo function "on the fly" to erase the last part you recorded.

Live musicians use loopers to create a bed of chords for solos, backing tracks for entire songs, and even complex vocal arrangements all while performing live on stage. Creative looping has become an art in itself with annual world championship competitions!

There are lots of looper pedals on the market offered by well-respected manufacturers, some being more complex and feature laden than others.

It's important to note that this course is not intended to be a product review, have bias towards any particular manufacturer, or serve as manual for any of these products. I only want to guide you through the typical functions and uses in global sense.

Simple loop pedals feature one multi-function footswitch and a volume rotary knob to adjust the volume of the loop playback. The footswitch on most devices functions as the record, overdub, playback, undo, redo, and stop control.

An LED indicator lights up red when in record mode, is green in playback mode, and will blink at the beginning of your loop to help you keep track of it. Learning how to use these features may take a bit of getting used to as you'll be playing and operating the switch in real-time while playing the guitar.

More involved pedal designs include built in rhythm grooves, user preset storage of your favorite loops, stereo in/outs, and multiple pedal switches. Popular loop pedals include the Boss RC-3, TC Electronics "Ditto," Digitech "Jam Man," etc. Selecting the type of pedal to use will be a personal preference depending on the complexity of your sonic needs and the type of functions you require. I chose to use the incredibly simple and highly respected Boss RC-3 Stereo Loop pedal with drum grooves and a pre-roll function. It also records up to 3 hours of high quality audio and has memory locations to store your favorite loops. You can also load in .wav files to the memory locations and store your presets via USB connectivity.

Where you place your looper in the signal chain is very important to the recording and playback quality of your ideas.

In my experience, placing the looper at the end of the signal chain of effects pedals will give you the best results and allow you to add effects to layered parts without those effects being added to your recorded material until you want them in the mix.

Bear in mind that any effect you use while recording will be added to the playback. You'll get to see and hear how this works in the upcoming examples.

If you choose to place the looper at the front of your signal chain, effects coming afterwards when selected will affect the entire recording. Tracks that are delayed or have wah added don't sound that great (trust me!), unless you're going for audio weirdness!

Let's take a look at each of the switch functions and how to operate a simple looper set-up.

• Record - When you're ready to start recording, press the switch once and the pedal will go into record mode. Click the switch once to end recording and the playback of your recording will continue to loop. We'll be looking at how to articulate and time your recording and coordination skills in the examples section.
• Overdub - To overdub a part the pedal must be in playback mode (playing recorded material). Click the switch once and begin recording, then click the switch once to stop recording and continue listening to your playback.
• Undo/Redo - While listening to a recorded part you can undo a layer of recorded material by holding down the switch for several seconds. The last recorded layer will be removed and you can continue removing layers using this process.
• Playback - Playback of recorded material is initiated by pressing the switch once from stop mode or from record mode.
• Stop - Stopping the playback or recording process is initiated by clicking the switch twice in quick succession.
• Clear a Recorded Loop - From stop mode, Hold down the pedal until the "CL" blinks or you hear the loop stop. This means the loop has been erased.
• Storing a Loop - In the RC3 you can store your loop to a user location by pressing the "Write" button at top right of the pedal. Use the memory up/down keys to assign the loop to a number location.
• If you're using a "Ditto" looper, the last loop you played will be stored in the pedal. You can also store those loops into your computer via USB. Read the manual for your pedal and all will be well (This button can also erase your loop if you hold it down for 2 seconds).
• LED Light Display
• Play Mode - The function light will illuminate green when in play mode.
• Record Mode - Red when in record and overdub mode.
• Rhythm On/Off - Press once to initiate a rhythm sequence. The light will be solid red
• No Lights Flashing - No lights means there is no loop and it is in stop mode.
• Loop Indication - Rhythm and Tap Tempo lights both flash red at the beginning of a loop sequence.
• Memory Location Number - This will have a red dot to the right of the numbers if a loop is recorded at that location.
• Rotary Dials - Dual concentric potentiometers. Small top knob controls the rhythm volume, and the large bottom knob controls the volume of recorded loop.

In my experience, having a solid grasp on what you’re going to record is the best way to get awesome results. Here are a few tips to use as a checklist when creating a new loop.

Timing & Execution - Loop pedals without a count-in function will require you to have solid timing and good foot execution when tapping start and stop for your recording. This is why you need a clear conceptual idea of what you're about to record. Guitarists new to looping often express that this is the main reason they got frustrated and lost interest in using a loop pedal.

Here's a checklist to help you get started with minimal risk of frustration, and it'll just take a moment to determine each of these factors:

1. How many bars in length is my loop idea? - Having a solid grasp on this will help you articulate the start and stop points, and time execution of overdub parts.
2. What time signature or rhythmic feel is it? - Count your idea out as you play it and decide what subdivisions and accents it has...2/4, 4/4, straight 8ths, 6/8, 12/8 triplet shuffle, etc.
3. What key or modality am I creating this idea in? - Good to know before creating overdubs and playing melodic lines, etc.
4. What is the intended use for this recording? - If it's to practice a new scale for example, you may want to keep the idea clean and less complex so that you can hear the chord/scale relationship. Plus, you can always add more harmonic layers later.
5. How many layers will I be recording? - Knowing how many parts you want will help you decide on the frequency range as well as the tonal quality and effects used for each part. Thinking like an arranger and orchestrator will serve you well here.