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Topic: Question For Buddy (Blue Jade) |
thurlon hopper
From:
Elizabethtown Pa. USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 3:28 am |
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Buddy i know that you are very busy man, and hope all is well with and for you, but my all
time favorite steel tune is Blue jade and when your black album came out i was living in Okinawa and the Oriental flavor of that
tune just simply knocked me out. Just wondered if the idea for the tune was e result of you having been on tours in the
Far East or just something that you felt would be a great tune for pedal steel. In
any circumstance it is a real Masterpeice.
Hoping to get a reply. Thank you. TJH
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Buddy Emmons
From:
Hermitage, TN USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 6:22 am
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Blue Jade was written out of my affection for Japanese culture and a strong desire to visit the country. I had never been to Japan at the time and thought my chances of ever going there were nil, so I chose to express my feelings through an instrumental.
The melody originally consisted of single notes inspired by the sound of a Koto, a Japanese stringed instrument played with a thumb and finger picks while using the fingers of the left hand to push down on the strings. Many oriental melodies consist of whole tone intervals played around the pentatonic scale, and that was the theme I chose. To give the steel guitar a voice, I later added harmony to the melody line.
As for the title, jade was a popular word related to Japan but green was out as a title consideration. The melody had a lonely haunting sound to my ear and the word blue came to mind, which turned out to be the perfect connotation to express loneliness while giving a color to jade.
My apologies to Fred Rushing for not getting back to him on his thread. Also thanks to Larry Behm and everyone who said such nice things about Blue Jade. I usually don’t care that much about an instrumental once I’ve written it but this particular song has hung in there. I’ve since been to Japan twice and the experience was everything that inspired me to write the song.
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 7:53 am
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Buddy,we all would like to thank YOU for what you have given us, the music AND the sharing here on the forum.
(Thanks b0b also for this great play ground)
Larry Behm |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 1:24 pm
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amen
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"Promat"
~when the tone matters~
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thurlon hopper
From:
Elizabethtown Pa. USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 4:28 pm
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Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and explining your motivation for writing this beautiful piece. I spent 111/2
tears on Okinawa, and love it's culture and people, and hope thay can understand that your work is a really nice tribute to them. Took your picture back about 1983-84 with my
little wife from Okinawa and as a matter of fact she is there visiting her family until
Nov.1st. AFter listening to the local music
there, perhaps that's one of the resasons
for the tune's strong attraction for me.
Never tire of hearing it and thank you for
writing this tune from the depths if your soul for our enjoyment. Thanks again and please keep up the great work. TJH |
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Fred Rushing
From:
Odin, IL, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 5:06 pm
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| Buddy thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about Blue Jade please never fail to play that wonderful song when have the chance. It has been a driving force for so many of us who are drawn to play this wonderful instrument. Fred Rushing. |
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Bill Bailey
From:
Kingman, AZ
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Posted 24 Oct 2004 6:16 pm
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I played in Victorville with a country rock band at a club called the Appaloosa Club, we worked up Blue Jade with a rock ballad feel similar to the feel of Lyin Eyes and it went over so well we were asked for it almost every night, this melody is timeless and versatile. Thanks Buddy.
Bill Bailey
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