Writing songs...that already exist!

[fuzzbox]

Anyone else encounter this?

Everytime (or very often) when I write something new,

shortly after I start to recognize other songs in there

from existing songs. Not even in the same genre but

it always pop up soner or later. It can be just a short phrase

or a chord change, but it completely blocks me from

continue the song. I always end up trashing it right after

I came up with it. So frustraiting!!!!!

 

I just feel like I'm copying stuff, but I dont intend to.

A melody comes to me and I start putting together

the music behind it and voila, I hear someone elses work in there

even though I cant always recall the artist or song

but I "know" or "feel" its already out there!

 

And if I dont hear it, I sit and try so hard to find one

just to make sure, and then I'll find one little piece somewhere

so I trash it!

 

So what to do?

I'm losing confidence in my own originality/creativity!

 

Thanks for reading!

Fuzz:cool:

[Guitarooman]

You know, when it comes to music, it's always best to be honest rather than unique.

 

If you think about it, all the topics in songs have been pretty much been done over and over before. Whether it be love, unrequited love, anger towards authority, politics, or whatever. You just have to put your spin on whatever you want to talk about.

 

So instead of going, "hmm you know, nobody I know has put a

 

--4----

--17---

--2----

--24---

--0-----

--3-----

 

chord in a song before, so let's do it" I say you just be honest and just play.

 

I think when you try too hard to be original, you take away from music as a whole.

[red_riviera]

We are all products of our environment... if our environment involves music, then consciously or subconsciously it will affect the way we write. It's called having influences. It's not a bad thing.

 

I once saw Bill Bailey (UK comedian / multi-instrumentalist) do a 20 minute skit on how Beethoven had clearly ripped off 1920's Cockney music-hall classic 'Knees Up Mother Brown' for his 'Moonlight Sonata'.

 

Anyway, anyone know who said "plagiarists steal, but geniuses borrow"?

[GMS]

Hey Fuzz,you've got it all wrong man....that's what you WANT to see re-marketability of your stuff,not that it's a direct rip-off of somebody else's stuff but that it has elements of other stuff that has worked it's way into your consciuosness as an influence-definitely don't continue to freak out and throw it away,but develop it and then put it away ,when you come back to it,providing you haven't unconsciously"rewritten" an existing song,you might see more of your own stuff "influenced by" something than you do now based on an artistic temperament-type reaction.As the other replies said,especially in terms of chord progression,many songs are very similar(probably why you can't copyright chords only,just melody on them).For ex,I study a lot of existing tunes to balance my originals which are influenced to a large degree by jazz-type progressions,forms and structures.A few days ago I was working out the changes to the old Four Tops

tune"Standing in the Shadows of Love",something kept telling me I recognized the progression on the chorus,but I couldn't place it,then suddenly I did-a song on Kelly Rowlands' great R+B/pop debut"Simply Deep"which came out earlier this year I had analyzed called"Haven't Told You"had the same progression for the verse.Another case of this-the Young Rascal's "It's a beautiful morning"="Another Sad Love Song" by Babyface/Toni Braxton in the verse,in this case though it's a very standard progression-so don't trip man.....

[fuzzbox]

Thanks for the replies guys.

You got good points and I'll try to think about them

next time I get into that state.

True, influences are gonna be there, but it's the

things that feel like a straight rip off that bothers me

cause I didnt have it in mind to start with.

 

The other problem is that I DO throw em away!

I should just put em on hold and get back to it

at a later time...sort of let it mature a bit!

 

Thanks again:)

[Hee-Man]

 

Originally posted by red_riviera Anyway, anyone know who said "plagiarists steal, but geniuses borrow"?

 

 

The correct platitude is "Talent borrows, genius steals". Example: Led Zeppelin was a great band because they stole blues songs/lyrics/licks and blew them up to arena sized proportions.

[poiXoN]

I think EVERY songwriter has gone through that same problem. You start something... it sounds original and inspiring... then the more you play it you start hearing it as a song that's already been written. The next thing you know you are strumming that radio hit and singing it. At that point your idea becomes flat and listless. As a songwriter, your duty is to NOT let yourself get to that point. You have to stop thinking about the "radio hit" and give the new idea its fair chance to develop. It's a lot easier to change the developed idea into something else than it is to keep scrapping your first inspirations.

 

You know.. when I get into "writing" mode, I have to stop listening to other artists. I am such a HUGE fan of music that my passion gets in the way of my inspiration. It's like trying to clean the slate before you start chalking.

[fuzzbox]

Originally posted by poiXoN You start something... it sounds original and inspiring... then the more you play it you start hearing it as a song that's already been written. The next thing you know you are strumming that radio hit and singing it.

 

U hit the nail right on the head...this is what happens to me

everytime these days, I end up playing a bunch of radio tunes.

 

 

You know.. when I get into "writing" mode, I have to stop listening to other artists. I am such a HUGE fan of music that my passion gets in the way of my inspiration. It's like trying to clean the slate before you start chalking.

 

That's the thing though, I don't really listen to music anymore

like I used to. Talk radio in my car, and just a few selected

cd's at home every so often just so I wont fall into that trap.

Still I do. But I'll try to use your advise and not let myself

slip. The worst part is when u write something "good" and

u find similarities to a C.Dion or Garth Brooks tune

[storm_in_heaven]

Okay, lets play a game.

 

Take these two scenarios (pretending that they were actually possible)

 

1) you have been locked in a room for your entire life, and have never listened to any music ever

 

2) you have listened to everything in the world ever, every single piece of music ever written.

 

Imagine you were writing songs with either of those two backgrounds. Which is better?

 

Who can say? I would say that it is a good idea to have a musical background, but one should write their music without any of it in mind. A combination of the two is the best I think, but it which proportion is up to you.

 

SiH