Loops Probably Don’t Have the Same Effect

[MichaelL]

http://trendinghot.net/what-playing-a-musical-instrument-does-to-your-brain/

[Desire_Inspires]

This is silly.

I do not get why people have a problem with loops. A loop is just a continuous repetition of a snippet of music. I could hire a 50 piece orchestra to play the same few notes over and over and over and over and over. It wod be no different than someone taking a recording of a piece of music and repeating it.

Loops are associated with inferiority. But software developers are making big money selling loops. These loops are recordings of people using real instruments to create sounds. I hear many people using real instruments creating horrible music.

We all know that it is the way a tool is used that makes all of the difference. Loop or no loop: make better music. 🙂

[MichaelL]

I think you’re being a little too sensitive.

If you actually watch the video, the research shows that there are different brain responses for playing music vs.listening to music. Using a loop is more analogous to listening, rather than playing an instrument, so the brain probably responds accordingly.

Loops are associated with inferiority

I never mentioned “inferiority” and neither did the video.

But software developers are making big money selling loops.

Of little relevance when measuring quality.

Now watch the video and see what it’s actually about.

[Desire_Inspires]

I think you’re being a little too sensitive.

If you actually watch the video, the research shows that there are different brain responses for playing music vs.listening to music. Using a loop is more analogous to listening, rather than playing an instrument, so the brain probably responds accordingly.

Sounds good. Thanks. 🙂

[Michael Nickolas]

Brain response aside, and I’ve mentioned this here before, but composers should consider using loops as an arranging tool, not always as a compositional (sp?) tool. Here’s an example – an upright bass player friend and I did a recording session. The night before we sketched out some ideas, the next day we set up mics and recorded live. Him on upright and I played something with strings, like baritone ukulele, resonator slide guitar or whatever was appropriate. We use a click track. He went home a state away, and I flushed out these basic tracks with more real instruments that I could play, and loops for instruments I couldn’t. The loops enhanced the compositions, but weren’t the basis of the composition.

[Mark Lewis]

Michael Nickolas nails it.

I think DI is confused about real musicians who use loops and tools to enhance what they themselves are creating… like Michael Nickolas has described above.

On the other hand there are the loop based composers that put down a simple and boring hip hop loop that they have purchased, they make no attempt at changing it to make it their own… like adding EQ, breaking it down, adding crashes and swells and other percussion… they just use the stoopid loop straight out of the box throughout the whole track.
Then they add a 3 chord pad that comes from a patch that came with their software, without touching or adjusting it, nothing.
And then add a very midi and soul-less sounding piano (or whatever patch they have easy access to) as the melody.
Then that is it, no song structure either, no dynamics, nothing (where’s that confounded bridge!?)

There is a huge glut of this kind of crap on open submission RF sites and people are constantly submitting this type of “music” to the other RF sites that actually review and approve the music they sell.

But the cream will always rise to the top so there are no worries, but you just have to make sure that you are in the actual class of composer the creates music and doesn’t just copy and paste to make a buck.

[Desire_Inspires]

But the cream will always rise to the top so there are no worries, but you just have to make sure that you are in the actual class of composer the creates music and doesn’t just copy and paste to make a buck.

Oh good.

I am glad that I am a part of the class of composers that knows how to properly compose music.

[Mark Lewis]

What musical instrument do you play DI?

[MichaelL]

The original post was to share a video whose subject is the “THE IMPACT THAT PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT HAS ON OUR BRAINS.”

Unfortunately the thread was hijacked by one person who, once again turned it into a conversation about himself. I guess there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and every moment is an opportunity for self-promotion.

Thank you for taking what could have been an interesting discussion about something the most of us actually do…play an instrument, and degrading it into a schoolyard us vs them, or perhaps me vs the world argument, that has nothing to do with the original post.

Waste of time.

[Desire_Inspires]

I play piano.

[MichaelL]

I play piano.

Cool. Me too.

In your experience, how has that related to the information discovered in the brain wave study?

[GaryW]

I have used loops mostly in World Music tracks, as I do not have all of the ethnic instruments I need for Middle Eastern, Indian, and African pieces. Find them very helpful in getting an authentic sound. I’ve also used them to enhance tracks that I have played real instruments on.

[macaent]

@MichaelL, in my experience over the last decade, constant piano practice has seemingly led to an enhanced memory. I think creative thinking too plays a big part in brain development as well.

I will say this on the loop thing though, I agree they probably do have a lesser effect. Seeing as how you really only need to click a mouse to place them. Not very motor function intensive.

[MichaelL]

I have used loops mostly in World Music tracks, as I do not have all of the ethnic instruments I need for Middle Eastern, Indian, and African pieces. Find them very helpful in getting an authentic sound. I’ve also used them to enhance tracks that I have played real instruments on.

Great, except that the post isn’t about loops. It’s about how playing a musical instrument affects your brain.

[Desire_Inspires]

Yes, GaryW. That is cool. But I myself do not use loops a lot. I made about five songs are few years ago using Indian/Middle Eastern percussion. I like to arrange the drums myself. I am not sure if my songs were “authentic”, but they were licensed a few times.

For me, it is fairly easy to create my own loops from using individual percussion samples. Creating my own loops has a greater impact on my brain than playing a piano itself. The unfamiliarity of new instruments gets me excited about making new “noises” that formal training may not encourage.

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