Watch a singer-songwriter like Ed Sheeran play live and you might be baffled at how he creates epic symphonies of sound with just ten fingers and one guitar. This video lifts the lid on the solo performer’s best friend: the loop pedal. The concept is simple enough: one player records and layers multiple musical phrases until it sounds like a band. The execution is dead-easy, too, as we use a BOSS RC-3 Loop Station to lay down a rhythm bed, then a bass part, and finally a guitar solo. Of course, loop pedals are dynamite for live performance, but that’s not all. Here, we’ll prove their benefits as a practice tool, with an example of how you can lay down a chord sequence and play scales over the top. You’ll also learn about the USB connectivity that means the best looping units can import and export audio files.
More posts in this series:
- Introduction to guitar pedals and effects
- Overdrive, Distortion, Boost and Fuzz pedals explained
- Delay guitar effects pedals explained
- Reverb guitar effects pedals explained
- How to set up a pedalboard for your guitar effects
- Chorus, tremolo, phaser and flanger guitar effects pedals
- Octave and pitch guitar effects explained
- An introduction to guitar multi effects
- How does the guitar effects loop work
RC-3 Loop Station
Compact and powerful looper with USB capability, massive internal memory, and rhythm guide.
