"Paraplagia"

[s.w.goatlips]

"Paraplagia" is the paranoia I have of plagiarising. I figure this should go with the song writing threads. For the last week I've had this tune building in my head that couldn't be left alone. Then some lyrics started to come together and now I've started recording it all....but. At times when I listen back I worry that maybe it's from some subliminal sound image in my head. Something I may have heard before and it just got buried for a while. Then again it could just be that I've gone over it so many times and like it, that it sounds familiar now.
 Does anyone else get this ? If so, what do you do about it ? Carry on anyway ?

[Greeny]

Carry on anyway!

I'll often be playing something new, then suddenly realise I'm humming someone else's song over the top of it! A lifetime of listening to music is bound to come out in some way or another when you compose your own songs. After all, there's only so many chords and places to 'go' musically-speaking when you're linking your verses, bridges and choruses together.

If it's REALLY obvious I've ripped something off, I'll change things round a bit. It doesn't usually take much adjustment to bring it back to being original (ish!).

Everyone 'borrows' riffs, chords, melodies etc from time to time. Just ask Led Zeppelin, lol.

[chapperz66]

Without doubt, carry on.  If I had a pound for every time I've "borrowed" something - deliberately or otherwise - I'd be a lot better off than I am now.

I try not to make it too blatant and as Tim says you can normally tweak a bit here and there to move a piece a bit further from the "original."

Paul

[T.C. Elliott]

I wrote a song and my wife informed me it was nearly the same melody as a classic country song.. erm Something by Conway Twitty. I know that name, but couldn't name a single song by him.

I've stolen more from myself than anyone else, but I've got a couple of great tunes from listening to other songwriters songs and getting the feeling, you know a song that really hits you, then picking up the guitar and just playing. It's completely different music/lyrically, but it still captures that same emotion or feel... at least a little bit. To me that's more important than a phrase or a chord progression anyway.

[Bluesberry]

I've been working on a song and realized it was ripped off from an original song from this site, there is so much great songs posted on this site alone that it has all already been said here.  There is only 12 notes, 12 chords, 12 keys, a few emotions worthy of writing about, it has all been done/said before.

[T.C. Elliott]

I've heard that argument before, Bluesberry, but I disagree vehemently.
Yes, the same 12 notes have been used before. But notes is only a small part of music.
In addition to notes there is:
groove
articulation/duration
technique
Emotion/feel
dynamics
rhythm/tempo
tone
phrasing
space/rest

I highly recommend the book "the music lesson" by Victor L Wooten. It is a good story to read and has some real life and musical 'eye openers' in it.

[Bluesberry]

Yes TC, right, when you put it that way, all these things come into play,  it becomes something original in the hands of the guy doing it, sounds sorta similar, but still unique.  I agree with you on that.  OK, my confidence in making original songs is restored, I'm back in business. 

[Tony W]

I ripped off Bluesberry about 6 months after he posted the FEmCAm challenge. I really wanted to take part in that challenge, but I couldn't play a guitar yet. I finally circled around to the song, and started playing what felt right. I sent the music minus vox to Tharek for his opinion, and he asked if I were covering Dave.

I fired up Dave's song, and I sure as shit played almost identical to him, down to the strum pattern. Even the damn tempo was the same. Two things happened, I got frustrated quickly for lacking originality, but that was quickly cleared away when I realized I sounded like Dave. I was proud, even though I had to tweak the song.

The end result, I wound up with an original which was moderately different than his and everyone else who used the same chords for the challenge.

The most important discovery was the realization that there are only so many different twists that can be achieved musically, and since I'm not very creative, I should feel no shame for sounding similar to something that has already been done.

In comments we all hear comparisons to who we sound like. I find some great artists that I would have never known about otherwise. It's great for inspiration, and turning me on to music that I'm going to enjoy.

[henwrench]

   

           Every poet is a thief

                                                 henwrench