No would mistake me for Country but…

[Mike Neer]

I definitely like to dip my toes in every now and then.

My wife loves Patsy Cline and I think I do too now. I learned this last night from her recording, mainly so I could play that bass part, which simply swept me away. But I had a different vision for the tune which hopefully I can get to someday (I dreamed of Monk playing it by more uptempo, like Off Minor), but I had to learn the actual tune first

I recorded the track last night and I am particularly proud of the bass, which I recorded first in one take with no pitch reference, just the drum track. After that I laid down acoustic guitar and then electric—all in one take. I recorded the steel this morning, playing my Clinesmith cast aluminum tuned to 6-string C6, which is my new jam. I mic’d my JC-40 with 2 mics. Three takes. It ain’t perfect but it swings.

I Fall To Pieces

https://mikeneer.bandcamp.com/track/i-fall-to-pieces

[Brooks Montgomery]

Mike, you need to do more country. That was really really nice. Your playing and that cast Clinesmith sounds so right on that tune.

[Chris Brooks]

Nice, Mike. I like the melody on the low strings in your 2nd verse.

[Eric Dahlhoff]

Great job!

[Jim Fogarty]

Beautiful, Mike.....as always.

BTW, if you did a tab for this, I'd definitely buy it, and I'm sure plenty of others would as well.

[John Harmon]

I'm old time country all the way, and didn't think I would like it from your description but got to say, excellent work. John

[Chris Harwood]

Enjoyable with accurate technique

[Mike Neer]

Thank you for listening and commenting, gents.

The first take I recorded was on the Rickenbacher. It's pretty good but it just doesn't articulate in the lower register of C6 the way the Clinesmith does. Not gonna lie: treble strings on a Rickenbacker frypan or bakelite are the gold standard. But my Clinesmith is perfect top to bottom. I think it would be interesting for comparison listening, but I did play it a bit differently a few takes later in the version you heard.

I'm the same with guitars: would you think I was playing a Tele? Truth is, it's a Strat. I've been Strat guy for a long time and I am particularly fond of the bridge pickup. I could play all night with that pickup. People think I'm nuts.

Jim, re tab.
[tab]
E----------3-------------13-----13-------
C----5-----3-----------------------------
A----5------------8------12-----12-------
G----------3------8----------------------
E------------------------11-----11-------
C----------------------------------------
[/tab]

That's all I've got. Haha. Actually, for that last chord check my video on delaying harmony.

https://youtu.be/Y38689-_m98

I'm glad that some people find this inspiring. I guess in some way I am living out my own fantasy of being a Jerry Byrd type, just recording instrumentals, though I am not so bold to suggest that I am even in the same league. But when I first heard his recordings, some of them, along with a lot of other great steel recordings by Jimmy Day and Lloyd Green in the '60s, made me dream of how I could learn to craft a steel arrangement that would be engaging. It has been a really good learning experience. Finding the right melodies to play is a big part of it.

[Brooks Montgomery]

Mike you said “ I recorded the steel this morning, playing my Clinesmith cast aluminum tuned to 6-string C6, ”

But your Clinesmith is an 8-string right? Or do you have a cast 6-string?
If it is an 8, what are the other strings?

[Mike Neer]

Mike you said “ I recorded the steel this morning, playing my Clinesmith cast aluminum tuned to 6-string C6, ”

But your Clinesmith is an 8-string right? Or do you have a cast 6-string?
If it is an 8, what are the other strings?

I removed two bottom strings.

[Brooks Montgomery]

Mike you said “ I recorded the steel this morning, playing my Clinesmith cast aluminum tuned to 6-string C6, ”

But your Clinesmith is an 8-string right? Or do you have a cast 6-string?
If it is an 8, what are the other strings?

I removed two bottom strings.

Ah, thanks, the obvious. That’s very Keith Richards

[Nic Neufeld]

Very nice Mike! I'm so used to hearing country steel styles seep its way into ostensibly Hawaiian songs (particularly on mainland recordings during the 60s and 70s, there was a lot of "heck its just a slide guitar, any session guy will do") that its fun to hear them 100% appropriately deployed in their native environment. And because people are so used to some of those sounds coming out of a pedal steel...it belies the difficulty of doing that stuff in tune with just a bar!

Strat sounds fantastic, too!

[David Irving]

That's just gorgeous, Mike.

[Jeff Keyton]

Sounds great, one of my fav's of Patsy's (was that Ben Keith on the orginal?). Has a nice, sorta, Hawaiian feel to it.

[Marshall Woodall]

That is great Mike. Beautifully relaxed. That song has such a great melody.

[Joe Cook]

Always tasteful and musical, Mike. It doesn't matter what genre.