Loop Phase for Electric Guitar
Bryan Schumann
Boreal Bard Music
Copyright © 2012 Boreal Bard Music (ASCAP). All rights reserved.
www.bryanschumann.com
Loop Phase for Electric Guitar Duration: 7 to 15 minutes (expandable form – see notes on next page)
Instrumentation: Electric Guitar
Required Equipment: Guitar FX (Wha-Wha, Phase 90, Octave/Distortion, Overdrive, Standard/Reverse Delay, & moogerfooger MIDI MuRF) eBow Plus, Metal Slide, Guitar Pick iPad 2 w/ Loopy HD software Alesis I/O Dock Behringer FCB 1010 MIDI Footswitch (or other compatible MIDI footswitch)
Copyright © 2012 Boreal Bard Music (ASCAP). All rights reserved.
Notes & Instructions: A note from the composer (expandable form): This score is a list of sounds, riffs, and formal sections that should move in and out of phase with each other. This makes the score for the piece more of an open "to do list". By "open" I mean that since the timing of the loops is not exact (due to the phase effect mentioned above), the entrance and length of each new section starts to matter less as well. Given all of the musical ideas I want to have happen in this piece, the length can get as short as 7 minutes or as long as 15 minutes. Find your way to play this piece.
Guitar FX processors: This piece of music was written with specific guitar FX processors in mind. Within the score are diagrams which show the settings to be used for those specific FX processors. Also listed are descriptions of the desired resulting effect for each processor. The performer should feel free to use a different FX processor (i.e. different brand or model) so long as the desired resulting effect can still be achieved.
Plus EBow: Use the harmonic setting. The best way to get the swell to come in on time, but still have minimal attack is to mute the strings with your right palm, place the EBow on the desired string, place your left hand finger on the proper string and fret, and then remove your right hand palm mute. Also, do not re-mute the strings with your palm to stop the string vibration. Simply take the EBow away from the strings and let the delay carry the sound for a second or two.
Signal flow:
Loop Phase q = 96
Bryan Schumann
Loop/Riff 1: Begin recording riff into Loopy HD on downbeat.
4 4
Electric Guitar (drop D tuning)
5 4
4 4
5 4
4 4
Let both open low D and high D harmonic ring.
4 4
Electric Guitar (drop D tuning)
Harm.
E. Gtr.
4 4
co
4
re
Let both open low D and high D harmonic ring.
4 4
Harm. Harm. Harm.
4 4
ru
E. Gtr.
simile
4 4
E. Gtr.
Harm.
4 4
5 4
4 4
gliss.
5 4
4 4
gliss.
5 4
4 4
Pe
7
simile
sa
E. Gtr.
lS
simile
5 4
Harm. Harm.
simile
10
E. Gtr.
Stop recording/begin loop playback
4 4
gliss.
simile
E. Gtr.
4 4
s. glis
gliss.
Harm. Harm. Harm.
gliss.
Harm.
Harm.
simile
Copyright Š 2012 Boreal Bard Music
. gliss
gliss.
ru
Loop/Riff 2:
sa
lS
co
re
Turn on "Standard" delay.
16
E. Gtr.
Pe
Begin recording riff into Loopy HD (not nesesarily on down beat). Rest on fermata 3-5 seconds (to personal taste).
E. Gtr.
Stop recording/begin loop playback
20
E. Gtr.
E. Gtr. 2
Loop/Riff 3: Use a metal slide. Begin recording riff into Loopy HD (not nesesarily on down beat). Rest on fermata 3-7 seconds (to personal taste).
Stop recording/begin loop playback
24
E. Gtr.
slide
slide
slide
slide
E. Gtr. Loop/Riff 4: Begin recording riff into Loopy HD (not nesesarily on down beat). Rest on fermata 3-7 seconds (to personal taste).
Stop recording/begin loop playback
28
co
re
E. Gtr.
lS
E. Gtr.
sa
Turn on Octave/Distortion.
Loop/Riff 5: Begin recording riff into Loopy HD (not nesesarily on down beat). Swell in & out using volume knob. Rhythm need not be exact. Rest on fermata 2-3 seconds (to personal taste).
ru
32
Pe
E. Gtr.
f
n
n
E. Gtr.
Stop recording/begin loop playback
35
E. Gtr.
n
ff
n
E. Gtr. 3
Turn off Octave/Distortion. Turn on Overdrive.
Turn on Phase 90.
Turn on Wah-wah Pedal.
Loop 6 (e minor pentatonic/pandiatonic solo):
co
re
*Use "Cry Baby" or any other standard wah-wah pedal.
39
sa
wh---aaa---wh---aaa (etc.)
slid
whaaa-wh---aaa (etc.)
ru
E. Gtr.
Scratch string with pick.
Pe
e
E. Gtr.
wh--aaa--wh--aaa.
wh---aaa---wh---aaa (etc.) E. Gtr. 56
Tap strings (near pickup) with pick.
E. Gtr. wh---aaa-(etc.) 3
E. Gtr. 4
3
3
3
ick.
wh---aaa-(etc.)
slid
48
e
with p
e
e
Scra tch s tring
slid
slid
E. Gtr.
lS
Use a guitar pick for tremolo, string scratches, string taps, and pinch harmonics. Begin recording riff into Loopy HD (not nesesarily on down beat). Improvise using the following ideas as a starting point. Feel free to repeat, change the order, and/or come up with original ideas of your own, but keep the overall feeling somewhat sparse, not-too-intense, and take your time between phrases as needed.
wh---aaa---wh---aaa (etc.)
*Continue improvised solo for as long as desired. When nearing completion, end the loop record (if recording), but do not begin loop playback yet. Next, turn off the wah-wah pedal, and then turn the feedback on the delay pedal up to 100% (notes will ring forever). As you begin to play into the neverending-delay, turn the moogerfooger MIDI MuRF from "bypass" to "on" (mix = 0). *Fill delay pedal with cluster of sound. *Once sound becomes overwhelming, slowly turn the "mix" knob on the moogerfooger MIDI MuRF from 0 to 10. The settings listed below will produce the following rhythmic pattern.
Loop 7 (MIDI MuRF beat): Once mix = 10, record the two-bar of the phrase into Loopy HD, and then begin playback. (the timing of the start & stop must be precise or beat/loop will very quickly fall out of synch with the signal coming out of the MIDI MuRF).
60
E. Gtr. Pinch Pinch Harm. Harm.
Pinch Harm.
Pinch Harm.
ru
sa
lS
co
Pinch Harm. Pinch Harm.
Pe
E. Gtr.
re
(etc)
5
*Turn delay feedback to 0 for a few seconds to clear cluster, and then turn back to original setting (about 50%). *You should now also turn the MIDI MuRF back to "bypass" since you need an un-affected signal going forward, and the beat will continue to play from Loopy HD. *If you have recorded your improvised solo into Loopy HD, feel free to begin playback at this point in time for an added layer.
Loop/Riff 8: Turn delay setting to "reverse". Begin recording riff into Loopy HD (not nesesarily on down beat). Using an eBow (harmonic setting) play the following ideas. Similarly to the "solo" section, feel free to repeat, change the order, and/or come up with original ideas of your own Note that reverse delay at 310 miliseconds will create an eightnote, reverse-swell, pulse effect. bend up 1/2 step
66
E. Gtr.
eBow Harm.
eBow Harm.
eBow Harm.
eBow Harm.
eBow Harm.
co
E. Gtr.
re
bend up 1/2 step
eBow Harm.
lS
*Continue similar ideas for as long as desired. When finished, stop recording/begin loop playback
*Over a period of about 20 - 30 sec, use the main output volume knob on the Alesis I/O Dock to fade out the enitre mix.
sa
70
n
E. Gtr.
6
eBow Harm.
Pe
ru
E. Gtr.
eBow Harm.
n
Copyright © 2012 Boreal Bard Music (ASCAP). All rights reserved.
www.bryanschumann.com