When to start using a looper for practice

[GaryWhitmer]

I picked up blues guitar 2-1/2 years ago after a 40-year hiatus as a folk guitar dabbler in high school - starting fresh with Griff's Blues Guitar Unleashed 2.0 and his 4-Note Solo program. I'm about a third of the way through on both, and taking it slow- not trying to join a band, just interested in playing good music for my own enjoyment. I've been looking into buying a looper and creating my own backing tracks to practice improvising over. How far into my development should I wait before making this investment? Also, what make/model would you recommend? Thanks!

 

[steve o]

Welcome to the forum Gary, it’s awesome having you with us!!!

 

[arock]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[tommytubetone]

I have a looper and never use it. There are enough backing tracks out there that's it's never been necessary for me anyway. Griff's band put together a bunch of them, so I'd rather play with his band than over something I created. I'm sure there are situations where you might have to create something out of the ordinary where they would come in handy. YMMV.

 

[Crossroads]

If you want to create your own backing tracks, you'll likely want something with a lot of memory. I used the DigiTech jamman stereo. It holds 30 hours of recordings on sd card, can transfer easily to/from PC and it has 198 memory slots. It also has up /down buttons so you can build a song onto say five different slots step on the button and it automatically arms the next slot after the one you're playing is finished Great for live
The downside is it requires a wall wart, and it's big.
The jamman solo is smaller 9 volt , I think it takes an SD card but you need a additional footswitch to get the Up Down feature if you need that.
There are plenty more out there, I have a couple but I find that to be the best. It really depends on your needs.
When? Unless you're waiting for a sale get busy.

Good luck.

 

[Zzzen Dog]

First off, welcome. As some here have pointed out, with the proliferation of backing tracks available you may not need a looper.

However, a looper can help you work on various issues including touch, feel, and timing. First thing I noticed when I used the looper was simple timing issues relating to cut off, then it was consistent strumming, and keeping things dynamically consistent. Also found I wasn't muting unused strings nearly as well as I thought I was. All of these things could be addressed with some sort of recorder, but then you have to stop playing to rewind, etc. A looper let's you delete things while playing. I'm just at the stage where I'm considering building parts... a base line, basic chords, triads, double stops and percussive riffs, etc. All which a looper will allow you to do.

And short answer to when you should get one? Since you're asking, now is the time to get one.

 

[MikeS]

Welcome to the Forum.
I'd say as soon as you know enough chords , and can play well enough to keep your own time, you have what you need to use a looper, but as someone else said, there are so many backing tracks out there they you may not need to.

 

[OG_Blues]

I will have to respectfully disagree with some of the foregoing comments, especially as related to the fact that there are many backing tracks available, although that statement is certainly true.
IMO, backing tracks and loopers are different tools and in some instances serve different purposes, or at least can be applied and used in different ways and for different purposes, especially within the specific context of learning. This is particularly true for the beginner to intermediate student.
If you get into using a looper, like any other tool, it does take some practice to learn to use effectively, and of course different ones have different features. I would start with something very simple and inexpensive to learn the basic concepts and the mechanics of controlling and using a looper. You may well graduate to something more feature rich at a later date.

 

[CaptainMoto]

Welcome!
Have fun learning

Re: Loopers
My opinion on loopers is, they are fantastic tools for learning and other applications.
I highly recommend everyone to have one, earn how to use it and keep it around for all sorts of uses.
IMHO, I'd say get one sooner then later.

Recommending one for somebody else is always a challenge because, like most electronics, there is just such a wide variety of functions and prices that it takes some deep searching to determine which one is right for your needs and budget.

If you just want a basic looper with no bells an whistles, the Ditto is a good place to start.
However, it has no memory or capability to save and transfer files to a computer, so think about what you want to do before you buy one.

There are lots of good reviews out there, maybe these will help:
http://looperpedalreviews.com/
https://www.429records.com/best-looper-pedal/

 

[tommytubetone]

First off, welcome. As some here have pointed out, with the proliferation of backing tracks available you may not need a looper.

However, a looper can help you work on various issues including touch, feel, and timing. First thing I noticed when I used the looper was simple timing issues relating to cut off, then it was consistent strumming, and keeping things dynamically consistent. Also found I wasn't muting unused strings nearly as well as I thought I was. All of these things could be addressed with some sort of recorder, but then you have to stop playing to rewind, etc. A looper let's you delete things while playing. I'm just at the stage where I'm considering building parts... a base line, basic chords, triads, double stops and percussive riffs, etc. All which a looper will allow you to do.

And short answer to when you should get one? Since you're asking, now is the time to get one.

Some good points there that I never thought of.

 

[artyman]

I have a NUX Loop Core which can store 99 tracks and has a decent amount of memory as well enough for 6 hours!

 

[Elio]

I have aLa JamMan XT. I don't really use it because ineed the backing tracks, but so I can work on my rhythm playing along with lead. One opion is the Digitch Trio+, which will loop and also create a bass and drums to back you up. I use mine often

 

[JPsuff]

If you're noodling along one day and you think: "Jeez I wish I could find a way to keep this rhythm going so I can play over it"...

...it's time to buy a looper.

 

[Jack]

Personally I've never had a looper - I guess if I need a backing track I use my Digital Audio Workstation (Reaper, which costs $60), record myself and loop that. And of course there are countless backing tracks on the internet.

One thing you might want to think about is a drum machine or drum software. I used to use an old Zoom RT123 which also played bass lines, and was great fun to jam along with. I mention drums because getting used to hearing that boom-chick-boom-chick (the bass drum and snare giving you the 1-2-3-4 count), and really getting synchronized to it, until it becomes a part of you and you very naturally stay in time with it, well that's pretty much the foundation of everything. Then when you hear some guy going nuts on drums and throwing in all kinds of stuff, you can still very naturally hear that basic 1-2-3-4 that's at the heart of it and not get distracted by the extra stuff.

Ah well, that's my two cents worth