long time listener first time caller

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 18 Aug 2006 2:23 pm

Hello Everyone,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Myk Freedman and I am new member. I have been watching the goings on for some time now and have finally decided to join the party. I live in Brooklyn NY, am 25 years old and play as much lap steel as I can.
I am a bit of a maverick in many of the circles I slide through and imagine that this might be the case here too. I just finished a Jazz performance degree at the Jazz and Contemporary music program in Manhattan and as a lap steel player, thier first ever, I did not fit in as well as some of the more reedy musicians. I am also not much of a country or Hawaiian player. I mainly play my own interpretation of the jazz genre in groups led by the brave, or in the case of my own groups, the insane. I am a lover and a fighter of tradition and am very interested in entering into discussions of where the lap steel might be headed in the future.

For those of you interested, I have two pages up on myspace where you can hear how I have related to the lap steel. I have been accused of sounding more like a theremin player than a slider and I would really appreciate any and all comments from other steelers on what I am doing.
www.myspace.com/mykfreedman www.myspace.com/saintdirtelementaryschool

Sincerely,

myk

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Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 18 Aug 2006 3:22 pm

Myk,

Very nice. Your music is very cutting edge yet you have done your homework on the styles of the past. I hear swing, jazz, pop, Klezmer, Eastern European and incidental movie sound track music in your compositions.

I like it. Keep it up.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 18 August 2006 at 04:23 PM.]

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 18 Aug 2006 3:29 pm

Welcome MYK,from Alabama,Loved the cloud song,all good stuff.Bama Charlie.

Bill Leff · Post by **Bill Leff** » 18 Aug 2006 3:50 pm

Welcome to the Forum!

AJ Azure · Post by **AJ Azure** » 18 Aug 2006 4:05 pm

Myk,
nah you fit in. I play all styles and do not limit to any one or two.
Nice music by the way.
-AJ

Lee Jeffriess · Post by **Lee Jeffriess** » 18 Aug 2006 4:11 pm

Myk, I realy enjoyed your playing, I would stick to your guns and,do what sounds right to you.
Lee

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 18 Aug 2006 4:47 pm

Hey everyone, Thanks so much for all the nice comments. You are all very welcoming!

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 18 Aug 2006 6:54 pm

There ya go--nice to see you, Myk.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 18 Aug 2006 7:12 pm

Welcome, Myk! You have a very distinctive and unique style. I look forward to hearing more of your playing and writing as time goes by.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 18 Aug 2006 7:14 pm

Welcome to the Forum, Myk. I really enjoyed the music on both sites.

I agree with the other Lee!

By the way, his opinion counts. He's a real musician. I'm a banker.

Lee, from South Texas

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 18 Aug 2006 7:48 pm

I have been hoping that somebody would do something like that!! Sounds terrific! Yeeehaww!

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 18 Aug 2006 8:03 pm

Welcome. Lots of jazz players around. Do you listen to Rob Ickes?

Ron

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 18 Aug 2006 8:20 pm

Thanks again everyone for all the great feedback! And Ron, I haven't checked out Rob Ickes but I will.

Lee Jeffriess · Post by **Lee Jeffriess** » 19 Aug 2006 12:10 am

myk, lets get rolling here, whats your tuning and who do you dig?.
Lee,I am a hack who picked up steel, just so I break into the world of banking, go figure?
Lee[This message was edited by Lee Jeffriess on 19 August 2006 at 01:11 AM.]

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 19 Aug 2006 2:26 am

very clarinetti

Would that be 'reedy'?

Congratulations on your degree, and welcome.

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 19 Aug 2006 5:40 am

Lee,

I use a tuning of my own that somewhat evolved with me. From low to high it's EGB, then one octave higher EGB again, then an E two octaves higher than my low E and a D a tone below the high E. So it's EGBEGBED all togehter. It's pretty simple but it works for me.

I have three steels:

Sierra 8 string laptop w/5way pickup
Fouke 8 string Indy Rail
And a Harmos that is a bit of a custom job. It essentially is an 8 string with two singles on it and really nice tuners.

As for who I dig:

I love, among others, Sol Hoopii, Debashish Bhattacharya, Jerry Byrd, Steve Dawson, Mike Neer, Don Rooke and Buddy Emmons (even though he is a "peddler"). [This message was edited by Myk Freedman on 19 August 2006 at 06:41 AM.]

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 19 Aug 2006 7:34 am

Yes Myk Welcome to the maelstrom!!!

Roman Sonnleitner · Post by **Roman Sonnleitner** » 19 Aug 2006 9:46 am

Myk,

I like your music.

Though they come from a different genre (rock/alternative country), I felt a bit reminded of one of my favorite lap-steel-based bands, The Friends Of Dean Martinez - who also make very film-soundtrack-like instrumental stuff.

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 19 Aug 2006 10:23 pm

Myk,

Your compositions and the playing of them were fantastic and creative, engaging and compelling, and I enjoyed them very much.

You have a great deal of talent.

I particularly enjoyed the music of Murder Ballad and The Kids Loved It So Much, which seemed quite sensitive.

These titles were a little mystifying, so I would like to hear your explanation of how you came to the titles.

The Kids Loved It So Much (they pulled their eyes out) Is this aphorism or colloquialism? Please explain?

Aloha,

Don

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 19 Aug 2006 10:49 pm

Hi Don,

I am very pleased that you liked my tracks. The Title for "the Kids Loved it so much (they pulled their eyes out)" came from a very short story that I wrote one night when I was the only person in attendance at a wonderful concert. It is so short that will print it for you here so that you will see that my intentions are pure.

The Kids Loved It So Much
(they pulled their eyes out)
by myk freedman

They are similiar to us in every way except for their hands and eyes. The flesh of their hands is so soft that the slightest touch is enough to create a bloody mess exposing both bare bones and tendons. Their eyes, however, are most resilient. The can stand up to a poke or a proding any day. That is why, in their universe, when one is pleased, it is customary to pull both eyes in and out of thier sockets repeatedly. Such an action creates, to them, a joyful sound akin to that of our slurping.

the end

I often tell that one on gigs and quite often get a good response. As for "Murder Ballad", that was inspired by a documentary on Canadian Blue Grass players I saw that had a mandolin player who tried to name all the different types of BG songs. Murder Ballads seemed like one I wanted to have a go at. It is no so much a blue grass song, though, but it is slow!

I hope that clears thing up a bit.[This message was edited by Myk Freedman on 19 August 2006 at 11:50 PM.][This message was edited by Myk Freedman on 19 August 2006 at 11:52 PM.]

Arthur Herrmann · Post by **Arthur Herrmann** » 20 Aug 2006 10:55 am

Welcome to the forum. Really liked your tunes on MySpace, I hear kind of a Bill Frissell vibe in your music, which I mean as a compliment, he's one of my favorite contemporary jazz composers. I also have an Industrial Guitar, a 6 string Dan Walsh frying pan, which I use mostly for the blues. I love the whiney metallic echo in their tone, always suggest the sound of a late night NYC subway station to me.

Myk Freedman · Post by **Myk Freedman** » 20 Aug 2006 8:18 pm

Hey Arthur,

I certainly take any comparison to Frissell as a compliment. I just saw him a couple of weeks ago and was utterly amazed. For a man who almost never speaks, he has a lot to say!

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 21 Aug 2006 6:41 am

Myk...loved your stuff!!!