While learning how to record music on my Ubuntu Studio laptop, I've been using a chord progression that a friend of mine, let's call him "D," used in a song he recently wrote. It's a progression in D, mostly using I-IV-V but with variations. His song is very folky, and the progression uses a fairly standard acoustic rhythm at a moderate tempo - if I were to guess, it's about 120 beats per minute or thereabouts. I've done this so I could free my mind of what I'm playing so I can concentrate on the recording process itself and learn how to do it. It's worked pretty well lately.
During this time, however, the original progression has changed drastically. First off, I'm using an electric guitar with heavy distortion instead of an acoustic. I've also simplified the changes - for example, the main verse is now two chords instead of four - and stretched the changes to cover more measures. I've also changed the time signature (6/8 instead of 4/4), the tempo, the rhythm, and now the key by virtue of my tuning preference. I'm using my Les Paul Special which I have tuned a half-step down, making the key now Db instead of D. Because of these changes, the song sounds nothing like the original. So I've decided to use this new progression as a basis for my own song.
The question is, is this stealing? Even though it started out as something my friend wrote, it's evolved into a completely new species. New key, new tempo, different chord progression, different sound, the works. Still, it came from someone else's idea. Where's the moral ground? Is it OK to use someone else's stuff as a basis for your own?
What do you think? Comment below if you have some advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment