Humoresque (Dvorak) country-style

[Mike Neer]

I thought some might get a kick out of this, but I am not going to bet on it.

I had a lot of fun arranging and playing this over the past two nights. I wasn’t even aware that so many others had recorded their own versions of it in other contexts (Chet Atkins, Joe Venuti, etc.)

Recorded over the course of two nights, I had no idea about the 3rd section when I recorded the first 2. It was only last night once I opened my DAW that it hit me to use a Western style for that theme.

Anyway, I played all the stuff and very carefully put together a pretty cool drum track. Oh, and I use a Tonex (through an amp for the first time) using a capture by Joe Rogers of a Standel XV. You are hearing my aluminum Clinesmith tuned to C6.

https://youtu.be/ZFOpxAcG3QM?si=SCWzTOXHx3H-2YZ2

[Bob Shilling]

Really great! Nice arrangement.

[Samuel Phillippe]

Now that is a different version from those I've heard.
Good job Mike, I really enjoyed it

Sam

[Bill Ladd]

Awesome.

[Joe Krumel]

Hi Mike. That is a home run! How in the world does your mind operate to come up with that cool arrangement!? Ha!

[Larry Jamieson]

Very nice and well done, Mike! I enjoyed your music and the pretty young ladies...

[Mike Neer]

Hi Mike. That is a home run! How in the world does your mind operate to come up with that cool arrangement!? Ha!

Joe, thanks for that (and thanks everyone for listening and commenting).
I think my strength is being able to hear music and re-imagine it as something else. I am a good listener, and luckily I have heard a lot of music in my life. And when I do find something that excites me, I go all in and immerse myself in it for months, maybe even years. But at the end of the day, whatever I do still comes out sounding like myself, for better or worse. I used to not like that fact, oddly. But since I started playing steel guitar, I've found that it is an amazing instrument that allows you the possibility to find your own voice.

The process of doing these arrangements is so personal, but I pretty much just kept playing the melody in my mind until I feel like I can find a way to interpret it on the steel. The style of the music is usually decided by the way I want to phrase the melody, then I determine the feel for the rhythm section and sometimes write parts or take them from the score. Right now, this project is for steel, bass, guitar and drums only.

[Tommy Auldridge]

Mike: Am I the only one who noticed the girl in the next to the last shot, has THREE legs? W.T.H.? Thanks, Tommy.....

[Mike Neer]

Mike: Am I the only one who noticed the girl in the next to the last shot, has THREE legs? W.T.H.? Thanks, Tommy.....

The funniest thing (I didn't mention this in my original post), but as I was thinking of some ideas for a video and searching for footage of people dancing, I found this unbelievable 1960s video of cloggers dancing in someone's house, and the way it fit with the music and the shots away from the dancers, it was so insanely perfect! So I reached out to the filmmaker before I published it to get his permission, and he said he enjoyed the video but I would need to pay a licensing fee of $750. Now, I don't think that is unfair given the quality of his work, but that was his "unknown musician discount" and it was still about $700 more than I was willing to pay, so I turned to AI. I tried desperately to come up with something that matched my ideas, and these ridiculous images are what it generated.

[Joe Krumel]

My first AI hoedown experience. Interesting group of folks

[Fred Treece]

There is such a thing as being so corny it’s actually cool, and you have nailed it here. I especially like the spaghetti western interlude starting at about 1:15.

[Per Berner]

Really cool! The song, not the images...

[Bill Ladd]

I eschew any and all AI if I can help it, but since it was Mike I had to click on it.

[Mike Neer]

I released this track as a single available on all streaming platforms. I am continuing to work on new arrangements and will release as an album at some point in 2025.

https://youtu.be/ZFOpxAcG3QM?si=SCWzTOXHx3H-2YZ2