I taught myself to live loop songs and different pieces of music, using BinkBeats' binkLooper in Ableton Live.

In order to identify, realize, and perform a complete piece of music without any pre-recorded MIDI pitch/rhythm data or pre-recorded audio stems, I developed a multi-step process:
• I analyze the work to determine if the arrangement of musical phrases and song structure could reasonably be performed through looping. Musical phrases which repeat with some regularity, songs with similar chord structures throughout, and a lack of non-repeating elements occurring simultaneously are all good signs of a song you could loop.
• Once I think a song could be fit to loop, I'll map out the song structure, orchestration in each section, and specific rhythms and pitches in each musical element. It's just another method of transcription!
• Some detailed planning is required to turn a transcription into a programmable structure in Ableton Live. I need to decide when (in musical time) I'll record each element, making sure that I stick to my own physical limitations, and make sure to leave space for non-repeating elements or other things I need to perform in real-time.
• Now that I have my performance structure in mind, I program dummy clips and automation in the binkLooper and other devices in Ableton Live. I can prescribe when instruments are recorded, when they begin looping, when they start and stop again, and how effects process the recorded MIDI data, and assign all of these functions to a specific, predictable timing.
• With a little troubleshooting and practice, I can perform actions on MIDI devices or with physical instruments, which are recorded and played back in my prescribed framework, in order to perform complex arrangements of many musical elements independently (with help from my computer, of course)!