West Side Story “Something’s Coming”, bass, steel, voc

[Mike Neer]

Maybe some of you will appreciate this. I am willing to bare my soul in this clip. Lol

West Side Story is the most important work of art in my life since I was 5-y/o, so I am coming from that perspective. The music has been so impactful and yet I have really never tried to play any of it. Maybe I held it too sacred.

I was listening to this song and really wanted to learn the bass line, so I broke out the score and learned it. Then I challenged myself to sing it too. I’m not a very good singer, at least anymore, and I am not really a bassist, though I am functional. Bass lines in Classical music are some of the most important things you can study, though.

I added lap steel playing some of the little orchestral parts to fill it out. Putting it out there because I generally don’t do anything like this. I used to sing and play guitar—I think doing that became pretty comfortable for me. I think it’s like cracking a code. But playing intricate bass stuff is a whole other ball game. Of course, I’m thinking McCartney, Geddy Lee, Thundercat. Props of the highest order for them.

Now singing and playing intricate steel parts is impossible for me! Steel is an attention hog.

https://youtu.be/jUXiYq_E7b8

[Bill McCloskey]

I could definitely feel your passion and excitement with this Mike.

[Mike Neer]

I think the thing that captivates me most about this particular piece of music is that in the soundtrack it builds such incredible excitement. I sit and listen and try to hear which parts are filling which roles and how they are used to build that excitement. The violins add a real nervous excitedness to the music, so of course that’s the first thing I go for.

Fortunately having the full score let’s you zero in on each voice and work it into the lap steel’s cameo. For playing background parts, I like to think of the steel as a section of an orchestra. When I played tricone, it was a more aggressive, kind of rhythm guitar approach. I think that is one of the big differences in how my playing changed.

[David Matzenik]

That is wonderful !

[Tim Toberer]

Maybe some of you will appreciate this. I am willing to bare my soul in this clip. Lol

West Side Story is the most important work of art in my life since I was 5-y/o, so I am coming from that perspective. The music has been so impactful and yet I have really never tried to play any of it. Maybe I held it too sacred.



https://youtu.be/jUXiYq_E7b8

I really enjoyed that Mike. Your passion for the music is so obvious. Play what makes you happy!

[Andy Volk]

Your trajectory in music over the past year or so has been amazing, Mike. Thanks for sharing this.

[Bill Hatcher]

Nice!!!

[Tony Oresteen]

Well I too hold WSS in high regards. Maybe some day I will get the nerve to do a song from it as well.

[Ethan Shaw]

I loved that, Mike! I dig your singing, it was great to hear!