On Looping: Creating "Clouds"

This week I’m going to show you a looping approach I call “Clouds”. These are inspiring textures work beautifully underneath band arrangements or as the springboard for solo performance. This is a simple, but extremely versatile and expressive technique.
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[@IsothermeMusic]

Dan, I find myself watching many of your videos again every years or so. I love your ideas and they’ve helped me on my journey as a creative guitarist.

[@spltrcl]

if you're looking for randomisation from your loop, interrupt your record process in the most uncomfortable, actively wrong way; if you do this enough, you'll develop a kind of "near control" over the technique(s). e.g.: if you're recording beautiful harmonics, play them while randomly cutting in-and-out of the record states: cut-off notes. cut into and out-of notes you're already playing. play a beautiful phrase, but only record tiny segments of it --- not on beats of any kind --- so that the phrase itself is destroyed..... albeit, destroyed for the sake of the beginnings of new beauty.

[@pangea2003]

clouds: things in focus and out of focus. i like the way you explained it! Cheers

[@7wheels]

thank you Dan ! you are great inspiration for me

[@smcmillen01]

This was something I’d noticed but never been able to put my finger on. Thanks Dan!

[@johnetone]

recording a blank loop is a mind blowing and stupid simple idea all at the same time! Thank You Dan!

[@sevenwheels3617]

Good. As always

[@BJ-fj6jw]

Dan thank you so much for sharing this. You're on to something there at 11:33. Nice. though I think and feel with Les Paul dark and fat tones (being also a woodwind player), your looping demonstration shows impressive range of ... emotions??... coming from your Ronin. I think Hendrix would have smiled listening to this.

[@jokoboyama6322]

You're putting out some real helpful content thank you!

[@stefanhansen5882]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@assistantassistant5516]

that was really eye opening thank you. trying it out now.

[@dutchbassscapes2185]

Good stuff 👌👽👌

[@stubrakon9683]

Great sounds, thanks!😃

[@haojiangyu855]

thanks Dan！

[@louisantoine9576]

Beautiful and inspiring!

[@oceanographic]

Thank you!

[@runefagereng6023]

Good old DL4. Will you make a Chase Bliss Mood video? ;)

[@KunchangLeeMusic]

More vids like these please

[@rda7262]

Hi Dan, great content as always! Could you do a video on how to develop such loops within a solo performance? Best regards

[@MichaelMillerGuitar]

I used this technique with some staccato harmonic stuff to create a sound of rats running thru dripping sewer pipes. Sweet stuff, love to see it

[@eclecticmusic9739]

Great video! Could you make one showing loops playing with different lenght? Like Ableton loops video but with a pedal. Thanks!

[@oceanographic]

Do you mean loops that are in sync, or asynchronous like a Brian Eno kind of thing?

[@dutchbassscapes2185]

The Brian Eno thing 😄 I think most loop pedals don’t give you the possibility to create loops with different lengths.

[@spltrcl]

@@dutchbassscapes2185 - use 2 or more unsync'ed looping device; that's my everyday state, though i don't work nor sound like mr. eno.

[@spltrcl]

it's my feeling/perception that every loop is, somehow, rhythmic.

[@Folkstone57]

You mean in this video or all loops universally ?

[@spltrcl]

@@Folkstone57 - universally, even when they're "open" loops.

[@oceanographic]

@@spltrcl I 100% agree with this - I think the brain latches on to repeating events, even if they are largely and non-rhythmically spaced out, and starts to hear it as a long arc, or a hella slow rhythm.

[@cyberprimate]

Ligeti divided music in two kinds, clocks and clouds.

[@IsothermeMusic]

Damned cool.