Hello, dear Loopers: Yes, it's question time! I just finished up a piece and was reminded of a question I meant to put to the list some time ago: why loop? I mean "why" in the fundamental sense of addressing what it is about repetition that's good. Is "looping" equivalent to the broader category of "repetition," or is it a particular type or method of repetition? Aside from the obvious mechanistic differences, are there qualitative differences between music that is made by repeating phrases in, ahem, "real" time and music in which repetition is achieved by looping? Are these differences audible? I would imagine from the responses to the "things vs. computers" debate that lots of people use looping devices in order to do solo performances in which multiple parts can be controlled by the performer. If the "looping vs. repetition" question doesn't interest anyone, maybe people could describe the enabling or limiting aspects of performing solo or in duos as opposed to ensemble playing where looping is rendered less necessary. Best, Morgan Hamilton Lang.