# Is this an existing melody?



## ProtectedRights (Sep 11, 2013)

Guys, I was ad-lib'ing around and came up with this theme. Somehow I think this already exists, it sounds so familiar, but I wouldn't know what it is. Is it just a common sounding figure that is used a thousand times in film in similar forms? Or did I play something from deep down out of my repertoire without knowing it?

Thanks for your help.

Here is a raw snippet:

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33470365/SommerTheme.mp3 (http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3347 ... rTheme.mp3)


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## GrimeBrett (Sep 11, 2013)

I am very glad to find out I'm not the only one who has this problem. Just the other week I was messing around with a track, only to realize later that it is basically the same melody/progression as the "Narnia" theme. Is there such a thing as "accidental plagiarism"? :shock: 

I don't recognize your particular melody, but that may not mean much...

Good luck!


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## ProtectedRights (Sep 11, 2013)

Thanks for your reply!

Yeah actually I have ran into this a couple of times already, when I was playing something and later I found out I was reproducing something existing without noticing :? 

Thats why, if something sounds good, I better ask if it's not an accidental copy :D


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## DanielBeijbom (Sep 11, 2013)

This happens to me a lot. Happened 5 minutes ago... 

Sometimes when I write something I'm very happy with, I start to think...."damn...I know this from somewhere...".
I suppose in this day and age where music is everywhere, it's easy to accidentaly copy someone else. I usually try to find what I think I've stolen ...and if I can't find it I keep it....but that takes a while, since I'm still convinced I copied it 





I don't recognize what you wrote. I think you can keep it.


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## lucianogiacomozzi (Sep 11, 2013)

I think it's something that happens to all of us! I think you're alright, at least as far as I know  Nice work!


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## reddognoyz (Sep 11, 2013)

dude, there are twelve notes. do the math. Of course someone's done that before. : )

Accidental plagiarism happens. 

George Harrison was shocked when he realized

My Sweet Lord was He's So Fine. 

But I think that's the exception, you hear something in your head, you work it and it becomes uniquely your own, mostly.


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## ProtectedRights (Sep 11, 2013)

Thanks guys for your replies.

@reddognoyz: I followed your suggestion and did some math. For a sequence of 20 notes taken from 1 octave there are around 10ˆ20 possibilities! This is such a huge number that, by accident, it is almost impossible to have a matching sequence by accident, since the probability is so low.
And this does not even take into account rhythm, which expands the possibilities even more drastically.
Thats the math point of view to this.


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## Waywyn (Sep 12, 2013)

Everybody has this problem. If you feel unsecure, just get some app like Shazam or whatever and let it listen to the track. If you don't get any notification "it doesn't exist"!

As mentioned above, there are just twelve notes, so it always happens. The only factor is, how famous is that already existing melody!


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## germancomponist (Sep 12, 2013)




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## ProtectedRights (Sep 12, 2013)

@germancomposer: But those are chords only, not melodies


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## jaredcowing (Sep 12, 2013)

ProtectedRights @ Wed Sep 11 said:


> Thanks guys for your replies.
> 
> @reddognoyz: I followed your suggestion and did some math. For a sequence of 20 notes taken from 1 octave there are around 10ˆ20 possibilities! This is such a huge number that, by accident, it is almost impossible to have a matching sequence by accident, since the probability is so low.
> And this does not even take into account rhythm, which expands the possibilities even more drastically.
> Thats the math point of view to this.



I think that's assuming most of us work in a freely atonal style, which we probably don't- if we looked at music through that kind of mathematical lens, it'd probably sound alot like chance music- Cage-style. I think if you only go with diatonic options where there aren't too many abrupt leaps, the options are much fewer, though there are still plenty. More importantly, when you're using something common like I-IV-I-IV you don't need to reproduce a melody exactly for it to sound familiar- but your point about rhythm is a good one.


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## reddognoyz (Sep 12, 2013)

jaredcowing @ Thu Sep 12 said:


> ProtectedRights @ Wed Sep 11 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys for your replies.
> ...


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## Sasje (Sep 13, 2013)

I've read an interview from a composer a while back, and he said: If you doubt the originality of your melody: don't use it. Because your hunch is probably correct. 

Not sure what to think of it myself. I would try to write it in another key, and see if it still sounds familiar?


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## dimtsak (Dec 15, 2015)

EDIT

Nevermind, i figured out where "my" melody came from.
Alan Silvestri is a bit ingrained in my mind.


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