What EXACTLY makes something a rip-off?

Like, many of my chord progressions are just shit I've hard in my Oasis/Beatles collection. Do you think having the some progression counts as a rip-off?

No. SInce there's a finite number of chords, most chord progressions have probably already been done before somewhere. The trick is putting them together so they sound original.

Well, then I suppose that's my downfall. I mean, I don't mind borrowing from my record collection (simply because they most likely did it themselves), but I don't want people going "Rip-off artist!" or "Beatles wannabe!".

Well you can make it original by like changing your distortion to something completely different.
Or if it's acoustic, detune your guitar (or raise it if it is not in standard)
Add a bit of a different strum pattern to it and stuff.
Just experiment if you wanna make it a bit more original.

If you ever seen the Tenacious D movie, the part where dio is in it and it goes "Roooooock!!!" I like the guitar there, and without knowing I actually played it, a full step from where I should though. But that sounds original.
And looks at Smells like Teen Spirit, lots of songs sound similar to that one

Just change the Rhythm... Make the Minor Chords Major and Vice Versa...

Just do things like that... :)

if you can tell it sounds like something else usually most other people can as well.

but using the same chord progressions isnt ripping off at all.

its how they're played that makes the real difference.

Yeah, use different inversions of chords, add 7ths, 9ths, use suspensions etc

When I started sounding like other people I quit lisining to other peoples music for quite some time and still played alot..after awhile you start sounding like your self not someone else....worked for me.

It makes it a rip off if you intentionally try to imitate something in the hopes you'll gain credit for the idea just for playing it.

@DOZ

And if I simply use it because I love it?...

I don't know about that. I came up with this acoustic chord progression. and took it to my band at the time. we broke out into that old 80's song "My love open the door" i was so embarrassed. but i really thought it was something cool.

I think it would be almost impossible to come up with a chord progression that's not somewhat similar to someone somewhere.

Exactly what Les Paul said... I didn't say 'by chance' telecrater. If you came up with something and it happens to have been used before... it's not a rip off in my book.

And Skold, I did state that if you do it in hopes you'll gain credit for the idea then it's a rip off. If you're just imitating it because you like the idea or as a tribute to your idols - then that's fine, but in general it's a grey area.

yeah i think there is a pretty thin line between ripping off and influenced by.

i think more than anything when you have a chord progressions and temp of that sound just like someone else it's being influenced my. but when you add a melody to that progression that is just like someone else then the whole piece is being "ripped off"

Hey what about a guitar solo? Does the same go for there?
Like say if someone created a guitar solo that had something that Black Sabbath did in it, then they did something totally different. That's not a rip off right?

Or if someone used the part of Motley Crue's "Starry Eyes" and changed it slightly. Rip off or not?

As I said, it's a grey area. You can't really draw a perfectly straight line between rip off and influence. But to bo honest, I'd say influence is more like coming up with your own ideas in the style of another band whilst ripping off is just lifting ideas.


And GB: lots of solos will have similar bits in, you can't escape it. I mean... if you took that solo and only changed it slightly then that's basically ripping it off. You have to come up with something of your own (take influence from it if you like, but don't just copy the whole solo and change it a tiny bit, because that shows you're trying to gain credit for a solo you didn't entirely create).

Yeah I figured. It's one thing to have similarities between artists and their work, but it's a whole new level when 99% of the solo isn't yours...

Exactly my point.

when 99% of the solo isnt urs its called cover i belive? or stealing. or copy right infrigment. take ur pick.

Well, it's only a cover really if you play the song. Even then, a solo is a presentation of your ability so even with cover songs I rate you should do your own solos.

Yeah covering a song is when you do the WHOLE thing. Although sometimes covers can be altered slightly. Social Distortion covered Johnny Cash on Ring Of Fire. They made it punkier.

But sometimes when a band is doing a concert they will cover just a little bit of a song, like a chorus, or verse of some riff from im.

To be honest, if you are asking yourself whether your music is a rip off, then I think you should mix things up a little bit. Get some more diverse influences on board, etc.

I agree that there are finite number of chords, and therefore a finite number of progressions, but The Beatles/Oasis are not the limit when it comes to writing songs.

Well, now, I'm listening to some more Japanese bands like The pillows and such.