Basing a song on a classical chord progression

alex matson · Post by **alex matson** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 1:19 am

I have this idea for a song. It's sort of a cross between Bob Marley's 'Natural Mystic' and a Schumann song. The Marley part is just in terms of an approach, but the chords and melody come from a piano etude. What I'm wondering is how do I go about finding out if there would be legal/business ramifications of recording it?

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 2:17 am

The big '80s hit "All together now" is based on the chords to Canon in D by Pachelbel, as is "The Hook" by Blues Traveler. Billy Joel's "This Night" takes the chords and melody from a piece by Beethoven (I don't recall offhand which one but it is 4 in the damn morning)...I think with the classical composers you're not likely to run into too much in the way of copyright or suchlike. I don't think anyone "owns" the rights to that stuff.

But then I'm not a lawyer and it is 4 in the damn morning.

kdarr · Post by **kdarr** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 2:20 am

yeah, you'll be fine...

Schumann is way past the statute of limitations on copyright.

And you can't actually copyright a chord progression. a melody, yes, but not a progression. hence most jazz standards are based on the chords from popular show tunes

[<|>]

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:39 am

dwlb wrote: as is "The Hook" by Blues Traveler.

you are frightening me dwulby.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:36 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
dwlb wrote: as is "The Hook" by Blues Traveler.
you are frightening me dwulby.

I picked up on the chord progression when it was on the radio back in WWI, and my brother is the one who actually knew the title...he plays harmonica so John Popper is a big (!) hero of his. I ain't no Blooz Travvler fan, trust me.

ryanlikestorock · Post by **ryanlikestorock** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:06 pm

Green Day's "Basket Case" is the same progression.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:28 pm

right, I'd forgotten that one.

AstroDan · Post by **AstroDan** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:21 pm

Canon in D is very widely used in rock and pop songs.

Paul Simon deliberately put some piece in the middle of 'American Tune', I believe was the song.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:35 pm

it's the only classical piece most rock guitarists know.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:04 pm

ryanlikestorock wrote:Green Day's "Basket Case" is the same progression.

And they've got that song that uses the chord from "25 of 6 to 4" And all those ones that are Kinks or Who progressions...

high five · Post by **high five** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:26 pm

drumsound wrote:And they've got that song that uses the chord from "25 of 6 to 4" And all those ones that are Kinks or Who progressions...

I'm not a Green Day fan, but let's be fair. If the only thing that set one song apart from another was its chords, we'd have only a few hundred songs (and some more just like them transposed to other keys). You think the Kinks "invented" G Bb F?

There's many other dimensions to music: melody, rhythm, chord voicings, lyrics, textures, counterpoint, instrumentation, etc. But... yeah, maybe Green Day could be a little more original in any/all of those areas. (Sorry if you were being sarcastic and it went over my head!

)

Mr PC · Post by **Mr PC** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:03 pm

Yes, there is Pachelbel's Canon. Then there is Taco Bell's cannon. That is what you hear the next morning after eating Taco Bell after the bars close.

Sorry

PC

kweis7 · Post by **kweis7** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:29 am

If I remember correctly from a music biz class you can legally protect a melody but not a chord progression.

standup · Post by **standup** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:45 am

"Words and melody" are the things lawyers look at in copyright infringement lawsuits for pop music. A I-IV-V progression can be used to accompany a huge number of songs and classical compositions, for example, so you can't really copyright that.

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Basing a song on a classical chord progression

Basing a song on a classical chord progression

don't think you can legally protect a chord progression

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