Music/melody database

[chipy]

OK, i think i may have come up with an original melody, but how do i go about finding out if it's really my own creation or if it's a melody that has been lying in my mind and i just forget where i heard it from?

on the same note (pun!), how do music writers/composers know if they aren't copying someone else's melodies? is there a database that has the most known melodies/music that you can somehow query?

thanks!

 

[xanis]

most likely, your melody isn't original. artists steal musical elements from other artists... it's been going on for many, many years.

 

[thomsbrain]

There's not really a good way to know. You copyright your song and if it becomes a hit and you don't get sued by anyone, you're probably good. But there's not like an automatic database or anything. Lots of music is copyrighted based on demo audio recordings rather than sheet music, so there's not even a way to compare it that way. Actual recorded performances are a separate copyright (essentially all recordings are copyrighted "covers" of the songwriter's work, even if the songwriter is one of the performers. That's they reason songwriters get radio royalties, not bands.)

That big hit "I kissed a girl" that's all the rage is an almost note-for-note ripoff of an older new wave song (can't remember the name off the top of my head). So people get away with a LOT of overlap. There are only so many notes and pop music has evolved relatively little in the past 50 years.

 

[chipy]

thanks you 2.

thomsbrain - your input was very insightful! i guess i'll just let some of my friends here it and see if they recognize it and hopefully they don't.