There is a finite number of chord progressions. That is why you can not copyright a chord progression. In todays world with millions of people writing and recording music, it is almost impossible to NOT sound like someone else somewhere in the world. This is why composing music is so competitive, and so very challenging. Being completely original is possible but some part somewhere is going to sound like some other score/song. It's inevitable, even if it's just the progression, or maybe just the beat. I could sit down and compose a new bass guitar riff that I have never come across before, but I know someone somewhere will have played that very riff before. The good part is that with so many songs out there it's also possible that no one else has ever listened to it either, and so it will seem unique. I was writing a song for my new album, and it was coming out fast like it was supposed to be. Then I turned on the radio, listened to my song on the radio note for note and I wasn't even done yet. There goes that one lol
Composing : Sounding the same as someone else. by James Holzrichter
Other topics in Composing:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
1 person likes this
100% truth. I've said this exact same thing to many people in the past. There's only twelve notes, and only so many ways of combining them that are actually pleasing to the ear. It's inevitable for the ones that sound really good to get repeated. Unless we all just decide that every song worth writing has already been written. And I refuse to accept that. :)
3 people like this
It is said that there is ONE joke but there are 20 thousand versions of it; so in reality there is ONE song but endless variations because music is not constrained to verbal or gramatical limitations MUSIC has SOUL and WORDS have no SOUL without MUSIC.