Loop (Music)

music · rhythm · sound · technique

Sound That Repeats. A loop is a short section of music or sound that plays again and again, like hitting the same notes on repeat. Musicians use loops to build up layers of sound, turning a tiny piece into something big and complex.

Creating With Loops. A musician can record themselves playing a few bars of guitar, then press a button to loop it. While that recording plays over and over, they can play new notes on top of it, essentially jamming with themselves.

From Bars to Verses. Loops can be really short, like just one or two bars of rhythm, or much longer, like an entire verse of a song. The longer the loop, the more musical ideas it can contain before repeating.

Building Blocks of Sound. Loops are the foundation of electronic music, hip hop, and modern songwriting. They let one person create the sound of a whole band by stacking different loops on top of each other.

Live Performance Tool. Many live performers use loop pedals, which are machines that record and repeat sound in real time. This means you can watch a musician create an entire song right in front of you, piece by piece.