Looping: August 2025
22 Sep 2025Here are the loop jams I captured from the month of August. This was a crazy busy month so I’m really proud of the fact that I kept the practice going.
| The embedded clips below all show the same thumbnails, but I assure you they are each set to jump the right unique moment. Full video here. |
Loop 1
I have a trombone. I don’t particularly know how to play the trombone other than the basics. But it’s a fun instrument. And in this moment it felt like the right thing to bring out. Why is there a weird stain on my Hollow Knight shirt? No clue, but I can’t stop looking at it. Just like I couldn’t stop getting into a cycle of playing that melody over this loop.
Loop 2
I love playing with my pedalboard and an electric guitar. But… sometimes it’s great to set up a mic and keep it to acoustic instruments. First the nylon guitar that I learned on as a kid. Then the acoustic bass I got from a used shop in college. And then the bouzouki I got this past summer in Greece. It’s not often that I use the bouzouki for the final lead layer, but I think this jam slaps.
Loop 3
An example of where the interplay between the rhythm guitar and bass was essential to the jam having any character. I really liked how the slow bends sounded over this, combined with some delay so you get blend between the dissonant tones.
Loop 4
I was looking for something simple with simple slow movement. Thus a simple distorted line and then… nothing else? Yeah I guess no other layers. Various warbly tones played on top of that.
Loop 5
This may be the loop I had the most fun with in this set. Super simple crunchy guitar as the start, then some percussive organ from my tiny keyboard. The bass emphasizes the funkiest. After which I reached for the trumpet. In trying to put a couple different horn layers to harmonize, at some point I messed up the undo and committed something… not quite right. At that point, with 4+ other layers underneath it across various instruments… there’s no going back.
Loop 6
I recently got a Dark Star Stereo, and I’ve been trying to make it work for me. So far, if I’m honest… I might actually prefer the (less expensive) Afterneath. But I’m trying to figure this pedal out. This loop is an example of trying to lean into its dreamy overwhelming reverb. Most of the structure comes from the bass.
Loop 7
My loop pedal can do an A section / B section (e.g. verse/chorus), but I skip over it for most of my quick and dirty loops. The downside is that I don’t end up practicing transitions as much if I stick to one endless drone. This one… it’s fine.
Loop 8
I really like this one. Tremolo chord sequence, but then the bass gives it a lot more motion. And of course a bit of organ is always nice and lush. I could play over this one on loop for a very long time (and I’m pretty sure I did).
Loop 9
Time to cycle back to the acoustic. A bit of electric bass, but that’s all good (I have an acoustic bass, but my electric is new and I’m really bonding with it). Recording-wise I’m trying to get both the mic off the guitar and mix with the line in so I get a more full sound. Tricker to get right than it sounds.
Loop 10
Whether I start with the bass or the guitar changes the feel of the loop to me, but if I recall I did at least try the layers together before hitting record. But I think the section I sampled for the final play over didn’t quite capture the fun I was having with some long analog delay. A far cry from that The Edge style delay timing, but that’s what I was trying to play around with.