Re: Please lets all sit together now and define what we do!

["Doug Cox" <dougcox@pdq.net>]

Arg.  My $0.02 below:

First, *why* do we need to define this?  It seems to me that there's been a
lot of discussion on this topic over the 14 months or so that I've been
here.  Although there are some concepts that everyone does agree on, in
general, a clear categorization of "looping" as a tool, or a technique, or
an artform, or an effect, or an instrument etc. has never been agreed on.

And I think we should keep it that way.

I won't rehash the excellent comments that Andre and Mark S. have already
made on this topic.  I'll just seond the notion that using (even carefully
chosen) words to define something as broad and deep as the 'use of looping
in music', can very likely have a negative impact on the ability to expand
that concept into places where it doesn't exist today.

So, what is the purpose of this definition?
Is it:

> Recently Kevin of Gibson suggested to create a site about the Artform
Looping.
> So we need to know whether its an artform and what we want to include
> in that site.
> While LD is completely open and can include anyone who is interested,
> the new sites content and aim shall be defined in order to make
> evident to press and public what they can expect as Looping.
> By this we gain a lot more attention as several citations express below.
>
?

If so, then I think that we can start with the current LD site (first page)
description of "looping".  It's very broad, and acknowledges the fact that
the technique can be employed in ANY musical style.  Then, we immediately
move the user to audio (and written) examples of looping used in a broad
range of musical genres.  These examples should highlight as many of the
looping tools as possible - meaning everything from the EDP, Repeater,
Jamman, etc. all the way to simple long delay lines, old school tape
looping, even triggered and retriggered samples, etc.

We're VERY VERY close to having an audio library up at the LD site, and 
this
could be one of the greatest ways to define the evolving concept of 'the 
use
audio loops in music'.  All of us will be able to submit audio examples,
with detailed descriptions.  THIS is the kind of information necessary to
properly describe the concept.

Somehow, I'm reminded again of Elvis Costello's comment - "talking about
music is like dancing about architecture".

Please don't misunderstand.  I think it's fantastic that someone at Gibson
wants to create a site about the concept of looping, and guide people to a
set of resources that can help them explore how it might work for them.  I
just don't think that a definition, especially one with exclusionary
language and concepts, is going to help that cause.  Instead, a brief
description of audio looping, how it is employed in various genres, and 
then
links to the LD community, including our soon-to-be audio library, is a 
much
better way to engage people.

Doug