This Ableton tutorial from the Learn Live series demonstrates how to start a MIDI recording directly from a clip slot, rather than using the global Session Record button. Clicking the Record button in an empty clip slot arms and records in one step, and clicking it again stops the recording and immediately sets the clip to loop.
This clip-level workflow is a cleaner way to capture a single part, like a chord progression, without triggering recording across the whole session. Once the loop is running, you can layer in overdubs by activating the Session Record button and deactivating it when done.