Re: My worst looping gig...

[Daryl Shawn <highhorse@mhorse.com>]

Shades of Spinal Tap, billed second under the puppet show...picturing 
the ladies hoofing it around the stage, then changing costumes and 
coming back for more is killing me.

Tying this thread into the tempo discussion...I once brought my guitar 
to my girlfriend's office party, as she worked with a number of 
musicians. There was a guy with a looper (DL4, maybe), and he had laid 
down this funky groove to which everyone was contributing, a bunch of 
hand drums, bass, guitars, etc. Trouble is, it was a four-bar pattern 
and the loop cut the fourth bar just one tiny hair too short. So people 
could just about get into it before having to recalibrate one's internal 
metronome. Everyone but me was drunk enough that they stuck with it 
anyway, not quite able to figure out why there was a hiccup in the pulse 
every eight seconds but too addled to really care. The other partygoers 
were trying to dance, having a great time and shouting encouragement, so 
this horrible three-legged beast of a jam just kept staggering along for 
an incalculable eternity until the plug was literally and mercifully 
pulled by a wayward dancer.

so please, remember that even though you can play a rhythm and have the 
machine repeat it, by god, make sure that the machine groove divided by 
yours leaves no remainder.  (is that the word? I was always terrible at 
math...)

Daryl Shawn
www.swanwelder.com
www.chinapaintingmusic.com

>> But it gets more ludicrous. After we get off the stage, we discover 
>> what is lined up for the other performing acts. Totally crazy...5 old 
>> blue hair women and a man who are dancing and singing on the state to 
>> pre-recorded music. I mean, this is freakin' hilarious, everything 
>> from the Charleston to clog dancing. And it's the same damn 
>> performers each time...they just changed into different costumes in 
>> their tent and played musical chairs.