From Timing Troubles to Classic Rock Loops: Mastering the Guitar Looper Pedal

Do you have a guitar looper pedal and need some direction on how to get better at looping? Or maybe you want to learn a few classic rock and blues tunes? If so, this post will answer your questions!

In today’s lesson, we will work on our looper timing, get some tips for a successful loop and learn three classic songs you can add to your looper repertoire.

Most conversations about the looper pedal often start with, “I have trouble with timing” or “What can I play?”

Unfortunately, many guitarists buy a looper pedal and mess around for a few months. The novelty wears off, and the pedal eventually ends up in the closet.

Here’s the first tip: practice using the looper just like an instrument you are learning.

Having command of your electronic gear, especially a looper, is vital. Therefore, you need lots of hands and feet-on experience. The only question then is: How do I practice using a looper?

Set up your stuff, plug in and let’s talk about looper timing; try a few exercises and then play three great tunes in the video lesson to take your looping to a higher level!

Summary – What You’ll Learn:

• • Essential Looper Timing Tips: Understand how to create clean, rhythmic loops by mastering the timing of your first loop. Learn why the end and start points are just one beat apart—and how to count effectively for tight loops.
  • Looper Practice Exercises: Build looping accuracy with hands-on exercises using the C major scale and chord strumming patterns. Progress from single-note loops to layered harmonies and overdubs.
  • Arranging Songs with a Looper: Discover practical strategies for simplifying and structuring songs using 1-track or 2-track loopers. Tips include memorizing chord progressions, using undo functions, and creatively crafting verse/chorus sections.
  • 3 Classic Songs to Loop:
    • Green Onions: – Booker T. – a 12-bar blues groove perfect for layering rhythm, harmony, and melody.
    • Baba O’Riley: – The Who – a rock anthem that shines with a two-track looper setup.
    • Goodbye Blue Sky: – Pink Floyd – Get creative and recreate this iconic piece from The Wall.

Tightening Your Looper Timing and Syncing

The first step to master when creating guitar loops is rhythm. Timing is likely the most challenging part I hear from guitarists using a looper pedal. It all begins when you push the record button. Additionally, the first loop is the most important because everything else gets layered on top. When your first loop is rhythmically inaccurate, you will have problems and likely have to start over.

Tip 2: Remember that the start and end of the loop are one beat apart, and counting the rhythm can help.

Here’s an illustration in 4/4 time showing the end of the bar is one beat away from the start of the loop:

Five Tips for Creating the Perfect First Loop

1. Rehearse the first loop so you can play it exactly as you want it (in other words, flawlessly).
2. Know exactly where the loop ends and starts.
3. Count in your head and subdivide the beat if playing in an eighth-note rhythm. For example, if you are strumming eighth notes, count:  1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Counting will help quantize (line up) the loop with the time signature.
4. Also, count yourself in to establish the tempo before you record.
5. Adjust your volume to blend with the overdubs. Write down or memorize what volume you want for each loop.

To emphasize: you must practice with the looper to improve. How about we do a few exercises to help with syncing and timing?

Looper Practice Exercises

Exercise One

Here’s an easy exercise you can play to develop your looper skills. Let’s use the C major scale. Look at the scale below and practice until you can play it with a steady rhythm in 4/4 time.

Count yourself in so you know the starting tempo. Record the scale and stop it after the last beat is complete. (Make sure to let the last note get the full quarter note duration).

Remember, the last note (C) is one beat before the starting note. Stopping the last note too early or late will create an uneven measure. A strong sense of the tempo and subdivision of the beat is essential before you begin.

Looper Practice:  Exercise Two

Let’s play the C major scale again, but this time, we will play a harmony note with the overdub. Some loopers may refer to the overdub as layer two or track two. Either way, you will record on top of your first loop.

See if you can line up the C at the beginning with the harmony note E.

Looper Practice:  Exercise Three

The third exercise is like the first two, but we will play faster using eighth notes. Count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &:

Looper Practice:  Exercise Four

Working with one note at a time is relatively easy, but we must practice strumming chords in your first loop, as this will likely be your usual workflow.

In exercise four, we will practice two loops based on the opening riff of Neil Young’s Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World. Here, an Em goes to a D5 and C chord, followed by the power chords in loop two. Feel free to switch the order of the loops and practice both ways.

Hopefully, you have worked through the exercises and are improving, but we need some tunes to play to pull our skills together. Before we do, let’s develop a strategy for arranging your songs with the looper.  

Arranging Songs with a Looper

Step 1) Memorize the chord structure for the whole song or write it down. In looping terms, this usually means the verse and chorus (the bridge is often omitted).

Step 2) Decide what you can and can’t realistically do. Cutting or adding parts is suggested as you are not recreating the song exactly as recorded. You are creating your own arrangement of the song.

Step 3) Find or develop transitions between contrasting sections. Coming into the chorus with a different chord progression can prove challenging, so try starting with the chorus even if the song doesn’t technically do this. This is much easier if you have a 2-track looper as you can create two separate tracks.

Step 4) Working backwards is sometimes easier if you can access an undo button. For example, if you want a rhythm loop to play throughout the piece but occasionally take it out.

Undo Button

You can practice your undo technique with this C major scale. Record the first four notes (CDEF) and the other notes (GABC) in loop two. After you have recorded loop two, use your undo button to “undo” loop two:

Each song you arrange has different tricks you will need to experiment with, so be creative and don’t worry about playing the music exactly as recorded.

So good so far? It’s time to learn three tunes!

Three Classic Songs to Play with the Looper Pedal

Deciding which songs to play that work well with a looper is always a challenge, though, and I believe just about any song can work. I usually chose songs by imagining how many layers are in the original music. As all songs have a melody, harmony and rhythm, you have three layers built in from the start.    

Sure, you can just lay down a rhythm track, improvise, and play the melody, but playing a whole song arrangement takes planning and practice!

Green Onions

Guitar Looper Tune 1 – Green Onions – Booker T and the M.G.’s

Perhaps the best place to start multi-layered loops is with a 12-bar blues progression. In our first example, we will take a simplified version of the blues classic “Green Onions” by Booker. T and the M.G.’s. 

Our first loop will be the 12-bar bass line. Again, we are looking for a rhythmically accurate recording. Before you start, identify a comfortable tempo and play the entire part with a steady rhythm. Always think of the last measure and how the loop will end.

Now, let’s add the second loop or overdub. The counterpoint bass line is just note against note. In other words, quarter notes together:  

For our third loop, we will add the chords on the & of 4:

So, you should have the three parts synced together. Rinse and repeat if there are any oddities with the rhythm.

The last step is to play the melody or improvise. In this example, you can use the E blues scales. Check out the video and play the melody as indicated in the tablature.

Green Onions is a great place to develop your skills, so add this to your repertoire and practice often. For more blues loops, check out my book, The Blues Guitar Looper Pedal Book.

How about we kick it up with a classic rock tune for more of a challenge?

Baba O’Riley

Guitar Looper Song 2 – Baba O’Riley – The Who

Baba O’Riley is, in my opinion, one of the best rock songs ever written and is also an excellent example of extracting parts of a song to make a unique arrangement. The big difference is I will be using a two-track looper. I can create two parts with a two-track, which is excellent for a verse/chorus situation.

I am using the two-track looper (Boss RC-500). I wanted the first loop to be in both parts of the song. So I had to record the first loop twice – once on track one, then precisely the same on track two (see the video below).

It doesn’t sound very easy, but it is easy enough to play, though it requires planning!

Track One – Baba O’Riley

The first loop on track one can be as intricate as you like, but I just took the first two bars of the keyboard riff and repeated them.   

 Our first overdub or loop two will be the iconic three-chord riff in the key of D:

And finally, I came up with an extra loop to slightly jazz up the harmony and add some rhythm.  

That’s it for track one. Now, we can have some fun playing the melody. Experiment with different octaves, bends, slides and other articulations to add variety to the original vocal line. Watch the video below for suggestions.

Track Two – Baba O’Riley

 For the second part of the song, we will need to switch to track two. Remember, we already recorded the first keyboard riff twice. When we switch, I will play the A chord and then add a complimentary riff :

The next step is to play the melody live with the other loops in the background. I add some effects and constantly adjust my volume listening for balance. Refer to the video above.

Phew! That was lots of work, but it was worth it. I’ve got one more tune that you can try with a single-track looper.

Other Looper Lessons and Books by Brent Robitaille:

For beginner loopists, watch the video below or read this lesson on how to make a great guitar loop.

Want to improve your loops?  Check out this post on the Top 10 Guitar Looper Pedal Tips.

Here’s a lovely three-part arrangement of Silent Night for all you guitar looper players.

Here are the top 10 questions to ask before you buy a Looper Pedal.

Looper Books

Or get one of my books:  The Blues Guitar Looper Pedal Book and The Pop Rock Guitar Looper Pedal Book.

If you are into jazz then check out The Jazz Guitar Looper Pedal Book.

Goodbye Blue Sky

Guitar Looper Song 3 – Goodbye Blue Sky – Pink Floyd

In our last song, any single track looper will work—another of my favourites from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I will use my baritone guitar with the sixth string tuned down a step. You can do the same on a standard guitar tuned to Drop D.  

I had to be creative to make my way through this with one track, so I started playing the guitar riff with harmonics:

Next, I added a simple D5 arpeggio riff that works over the changing harmonies and adds rhythm:

Finally, I added a simple single bass note to add rhythm similar to a bass drum.  

And the last step is to play the guitar riffs and improvise on the melody. See the tab in the video.

And there you have it! Three songs you can start to develop and add to your set list.

A few last tips…

There is a lot to digest in this article, but take your time and start a regular practice session with your new buddy. There is no need to get anything fancy, as a simple single-track looper might suit your needs.

One tip, if you can afford it, is to build a pedal board dedicated to your looper. Again, it’s nothing fancy. I only used a bit of overdrive, a delay and some reverb – all of which might be built into your amp.

Mastering a looper pedal takes patience, but the rewards are immense. Whether jamming at home, practicing solos, or building live performances, looping can sharpen your timing, expand your creativity, and make solo practice more engaging.

The key is consistency—set up a dedicated looper rig, practice your timing with the exercises and songs above, and be on the lookout for new song arrangements. In other words, your looper will feel like a second bandmate, always ready to jam (in time) and with zero attitude!

Please leave any comments and suggestions for more looper lessons below.