Looper Pedal Types? How To Increase Your Creativity As A Musician!

A looper pedal records your guitar as you play then cleverly plays it back to you as a loop. Looper pedals essentially turn you into a one man band!

Types of looper pedals? There are two main types of looper pedals. These include the Stompbox loopers and the Loop stations.

In this article, we will go over the types of loopers in more detail!

1. What is a Looper Pedal?

So basically, a looper, just like its name, is designed to create loops of rhythms.

In other words, it enables players to record their guitar playing, then repeat that sequence of chords so that the player can compose and layer another part of the guitar over that which was previously recorded!

And as you continue to add more layers, you can create a song with multiple layers, as you would in a band scenario. 

This is why the looper is a very handy pedal to have whether you are a solo player, or just want to experiment.

2. Types of Looper Pedals

There are two main types of loop pedals: Stompbox Loopers and Loop Stations:

  • Stompbox Loopers – The Stompbox looper is that standard loop pedal that offers the full package for solo players who want to practice at home: recording, overdubbing, and stopping. With 3 buttons for 3 features, the player only has to press one to start recording, then press again to save the rhythm, then play whatever they want to layer over it. The player can add more layers to the background track if he likes to create a more complex-sounding repeating beat. However, as how the Stompbox looper functions is quite basic, the player can only play on top of one musical phrase that’s created at the beginning until he decides to delete it.
  • Loop Stations – Stompboxes are great for practicing, but to some extent, it limits the players’ creativity while playing. This is where loop stations come in handy – a more complex looping device that’s designed for professional and advanced musicians. With loop stations, guitar players can switch between different backing tracks while performing, slowing down or speeding up the looped patterns, and so much more. These features make loop stations ideal for musicians who wish to make a one-person band on stage or in the studio, but may be something too much for normal players who only want to practice.

3. Why Is A Looper Pedal Important?

A loop pedal is actually an invaluable tool for any musician when it comes to practicing, composing, and performing.

For practice:

First, it provides the players with more opportunities to practice than any other tools by enabling the musician to play on top of a repeating rhythm without the help of anyone else. By using a looper, the guitarist himself doesn’t have to rely on someone else to repeat the same musical phrase over and over for him, thus making it easier to improvise and experiment with any techniques he likes. Creating the background loop is a form of practice in itself, as it will encourage the player to improve his timing skill and gradually perfect his playing.

For composing:

A Looper is a helpful tool when it comes to songwriting. By creating loops of rhythms, you can try putting different parts together to make sure it sounds great. With the help of a loop pedal, you can also save the parts you just played without having to remember all the notes you’ve just thought up on your own. To put it simply, a looper is like a memory card saving all your ideas when you’re composing for later use. Besides, with the recording feature, the looper also gives you the chance to stand back, listen and assess your composing. In this way, you can step by step perfect your song. Clever, right?

For performing:

Loop pedals are used the most in live sessions, especially in solo performances. Even if the player has another guitarist with him, the looper can still be very helpful as it can significantly enhance the performance. In particular, by overdubbing on top of the background loops, the musician can bring in a complex song with multiple layers, thus creating a richer sound.

In fact, there have been several famous musicians using loopers in their live sessions, namely: Jacob Collier, Ed Sheeran, Reggie Watts, etc.

Conclusion

If you are either a beginner or a professional guitar player, you might have heard of the device called the “loop pedal”, or “looper” for short. Though this gadget is not a must-have for all guitarists, it is definitely a very interesting and useful tool to play any style, and also something that solo players can’t do without.

Rich Wilde Music

My name is Richard Wilde and go by @richwildemusic on all major social channels. I am an artist, guitar player, and producer. I have been playing guitar for over 15 years and have come to learn the "tips" and "tricks" to enhance guitar playing, recording guitar, setting up guitar, and overall get that professional sound.

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