Originally Posted by: jkuervoI am new to writing songs. In fact I wrote my first one this morning when I woke up. I think it is halfway decent and with some tweaking it might be a decent song lyrically (I am still trying to figure out what chord progression I want.)

The thing is it sounds a bit like a song I heard a few days ago. I guess I am having a moral dilemma. I don't feel I copied the song but you can definitely see that it is heavily influenced by something.

As a song writer where do you draw the line? I want to have my own voice but I am in love with music and listen to it quite a bit. I don't see how someone can write something totally original every time out of the gate.

I'm not going to scrap the song. I'm going to figure out the chord progression and keep tweaking it as it is good practice.

I was just wondering if any of you have run into this and thought, "should I really be writing this? Am I copping a groove from a different artist?" What was your answer to this question if it has come up?


Thanks

Plagiarizing pertaining to music is to steal any ideas or lyrics or music or sound or even arrangement of a certain composition. A title, riff, or lick cannot be copyright. You may use a line from a public domain song or a few bars, but not from a copyright piece of material. For instance, you may title you song “Heart Break Hotel”, but it cannot have any of the same lines or melody or even meaning (idea). You can use the walk-down or slide, etc.

I had a song once in which the chorus sounded somewhat like another popular song. I never realized it until a friend mentioned it. I added a few minor chords and a 7th and it changed it completely and I think made it better. You can to the same with your song. Just make a few changes or tempo to where it doesn’t sound like the other song and it will probably make your song even better. I really don’t see why you would want to use something that someone else came up with.

Unless you are playing or selling the song for money or your song becomes a great success making millions, you will not be challenged. And truthfully, if you aren’t making millions, what’s the difference. You are not going to be suit for what you make playing it Saturday night at the local honky tonk. And if you are making millions, what’s the difference, settle out of court and give them a few million.

Just a note: One of the best lyricists, Woody Guthrie, took his music from other songs. The song “This Land is Your Land” music was taken from an old Carter Family Christian song. I don’t remember the name, but Guthrie’s song became much more popular than the Carter Family song. I don’t know if he was ever taken to court (I doubt it) or if the Carter Family gave him permission or if the tune was public domain. He used other songs, such as, “Walbash Cannonball” and many others.