Do you give the scoop on the loop?

[steve mac]

For those who use a looper, do you tell the crowd at all or just let them work it out for themselves? I am fine with the latter as most don't care but I have decided to try blowing harmonica over a loop by holding it rather than in a holder and I don't want people to think I am using BTs

[pogo97]

and I don't want people to think I am using BTs

 

Reminds me of an old joke: Why don't Methodists make love standing up?

Someone might see them and think they were dancing.

[daddymack]

For those who use a looper' date=' do you tell the crowd at all or just let them work it out for themselves? I am fine with the latter as most don't care but I have decided to try blowing harmonica over a loop by holding it rather than in a holder and I don't want people to think I am using BTs[/quote']

 

I did that for a song or two, with the guitar still slung on...no one ever commented.

[daddymack]

 

Reminds me of an old joke: Why don't Methodists make love standing up?

Someone might see them and think they were dancing.

 

maybe they're rhythm Methodists?

 

out here I find it is the Mormons who dance a lot...

[steve mac]

 

I did that for a song or two, with the guitar still slung on...no one ever commented.

I got the idea from you 😉

[daddymack]

ah, well, yes I recall mentioning that a short while back...hope it works for you, mate!

[Shaster]

Well I use tracks that I've made and played myself. I've come to the conclusion that there's no real difference between something I prerecord a day before, and something I prerecord a minute before.

 

I've also come to the conclusion that unless you're doing roots music or playing in a club that's a real music venue, people don't care about loops, tracks or anything else. Frankly, if you told people you weren't using tracks but were looping instead, I would imagine that most wouldn't even understand you, wouldn't care, or wouldn't be listening because they were checking their FB feed.

 

Again, if you're playing places that might frown on tracks, my feeling is don't use any technology - but otherwise have at it (technology that is).

 

 

[daddymack]

I think in this case it doesn't cross the line, since the loop track is there to free you up to play another instrument. If I used the loop to just stand there and sing, I would be disappointed in myself...

[steve mac]

I was out celebrating St George's day the other night and the entertainment was a guy singing to backing tracks . He actually did a passable Neil Diamond type voice but the BTs where awful, obviously downloaded off YouTube type things, he had a pregnant pause between songs whilst he queued up the next one and the whole thing was played through two cheap 15 inch speakers on poles each with their own sub, all this in a small restaurant with the volume cranked. It literally hurt my ears. But he gets loads of bookings and the crowd loved it. Still as DaddyM says above Ida I did something like that I would be dissapointed in myself.

[daddymack]

I was out celebrating St George's day the other night [or was it St. George's night the other day?] and the entertainment was a guy singing to backing tracks . He actually did a passable Neil Diamond type voice but the BTs where awful' date=' obviously downloaded off YouTube type things, he had a pregnant pause between songs whilst he queued up the next one and the whole thing was played through two cheap 15 inch speakers on poles each with their own sub, all this in a small restaurant with the volume cranked. It literally hurt my ears. But he gets loads of bookings and the crowd loved it. Still as DaddyM says above Ida I did something like that I would be dissapointed in myself.[/quote']

I would not have stayed for more than the first song if it was as bad as you stated...you are far more tolerant of idiocy than I, mate!

In Maui several years back, MommaMack and I wandered into a restaurant with a guy doing tracks, singing and playing saxophone...but there were sax parts behind his vocal, which really just made me shake my head and wonder why as we left. Really, he was okay as a singer, and okay on the horn, but the entire package came across as mediocrity on a bun.

 

 

[Bob Dey]

The first time I saw someone use a looper was 35 years ago. The keyboard player in the band started out playing something and it was being recorded into a sequencer. Then without missing a beat, he hit a button to make the sequence play back in a loop. It was a cool thing to see because it was obvious that it wasn't pre-recorded and was done on the fly. A couple of years after that I saw a band playing along with a sequencer (pre-recorded) and it looked bad to me. It wasn't long until I jumped on the backing track bandwagon!

 

Anyway, I have played my harp along with backing tracks without a holder. People took notice that I was playing a different instrument, but no one said I was cheatin'.