Funky Junk - Context Essay - Comparing 2 different types of tech used by Musicians

Essay on technology in music

Loopers - Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran uses loop pedals during most of his live performances. Without this his live sets definitely wouldn’t sound the same nor would the concert progress the same. During his performances you see the progression of making the song a live version (generally he does this with just his guitar and vocals). This adds a level of intimacy with the audience, allowing them to see the basic elements behind his music and seeing how it evolves. It’s like letting them in on how the song progresses and became what it is you here on the albums which often isn’t always documented.

Loop pedals are used in a lot of different types of music and have been around for a couple decades now. In Ed Sheerans case the pedal pedal essentially allows you to record and repeat for example a four bar loop of a guitar riff which you can save if satisfied with the timing of the notes, and then add another layer of music to it using the same instrument. This allows you to get creative with your music letting you loop vocals and instruments, you can essentially become a one man band with only one instrument.

This can be an inconvenience at a concert as if you are the artist performing the music you could mess it up often which throws off the energy of the show. Yet again if you are an audience member of an Ed Sheehan concert you might not want to here a 7 minute long version of what was once a 3 minute long song. 

Imogen Heap uses gloves to make music. She has designed the gloves herself and they use a technology that allows her to move her hands and arms to create sounds and make music. This is unique, making her live performance an experience and interesting. These gloves are capable of making any sound if she was to programme that specific noise to a specific movement.. She sings, plays percussion and keyboards and uses looping similar to Ed Sheeran.

These gloves aren’t common. They’re a developing technology that isn’t being given to the public yet. That adds a level of mystery as to what they can do making a concert of Heaps more appealing. The performances she does with the gloves don't come across as particularly energetic so this is the sort of performance for those who want to go for a relaxed vibe. It is also the sort of performance where someone who is interested in music technology or just technology in general could go to and experience.

Similar to Ed Sheeran it is generally just her on stage. She creates all her live songs herself without any help. Yet again creating a sort of mystery to this technology. But this could be a bad thing for music taking away the whole band aspect of live performances. The same applies to Sheeran. Music for me is all about creating music together and contributing ideas to create a diverse project. When its just one person the ideas become the same and doesn't evolve.

I would like to start using loops more in my music. This is due to the fact that when I'm playing guitar I'm always by myself so its harder to be creative. But this way I can layer stuff and actually create a piece of music instead of just creating riff after riff.