March 06, 2014

Making some NOISE with RupLoops!

Over a snowy weekend, participants gathered for a musical workshop to explore the art of live-looping sounds and vocal percussion.

To begin the workshop, talented performer and musician Rup Sidhu, AKA RupLoops, began by sharing his personal story of his love of playing music since he was 19. He explained his main mission in life: to inspire others to make music and to create as many "human beat boxes" as he possibly can!

To get some rhythm going in the house, Rup engaged families with a little back and forth clapping exercise and by getting participants excited to explore some electronic musical instruments. He then demonstrated his cool collection of acoustic and electronic instruments such as his vocal effects processor. He had the curious crowd captivated with an awesome sound manipulation demonstration and a various vocal percussion beats.

Next, folks were introduced to the synthesizer, Rup's favourite — which can be used to make an endless array of sounds. Then he explored an electronic percussion device called the Hand Sonic, in which he wowed the audience with the ability to choose from a library of over 600 different audio samples!

To remind participants of the beauty of an acoustic instrument and how its sound can mix nicely with electrical instruments, Rup also played a striking melody with the hulusi, a gourd flute from the traditional Dai people of Southern China. He shared the touching legend of a young man who saved his lover amidst some turbulent waves by using a gourd as a floating device. Buddha, who was impressed by the young man's actions, added pieces of bamboo to the gourd to make it into a beautiful flute.

The highlight of the workshops was when all the folks in the room had a chance to make some noise and partake in live looping. With live looping you can record sounds that can be played back and repeated. To add another dimension, Rup reminded everyone that the lightest instrument in the world is your voice! Recording their voices, participants were ecstatic to hear them played back. Adding a bassline, melody and vocal percussion sounds, Rup had the whole room singing: "Oh Yeah!!!"

Rup closed his workshop by thanking participants for making some noise with him and left them very inspired to pursue creativity and music as a healthy form of expression.

Thank you to Rup for the musical inspiration! And if you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the Sound Play exhibition at the ArtStarts Gallery before the end of March to make some more noise!

Check out lots more photos on Facebook from ArtStarts on Saturdays and from ArtStarts at River Market.

We hope to see you at our next workshops: George Rahi and his Musical Bicycles. Join us at ArtStarts on Saturdays in Vancouver on Saturday, March 29 and at ArtStarts at River Market in New Westminster on Sunday, March 30. Read more details here.

Thank you to Boeing for their generous support of the ArtStarts on Saturdays series.

Thank you to Westminster Savings and River Market for their generous support of the ArtStarts at River Market series.