Do any of you have a friend like this?

ednrg · January 2006

I have a guitar playing friend who comes over and we play. Sometimes, I'll play him something that I was in the process of recording. Almost like clockwork, he'll come by in a month or so, telling me that he created a new tune. It will either be the exact riff, or the same riff a step up or down.

Do any of you have friends like this? He can't be the only one.

Southerocker · January 2006

hey ednrg, what's your avatar guy doing to that guitar? lol

D.Alexander · January 2006

Don't try to copy endrg's moves!

no seriously endrg that sucks.... but then again if somebody actually thought my stuff was good enough to copp i might in a odd way appreciate it sorta.
8)

Mike B · January 2006

Ednrg, I have had a similar thing happen. The difference being it only involved me. Set down and start playing something and think man that sounds ok. Then a week later forget what it was, and then a couple of months later set down and start playing the forgeotten riff thinking how cool it is to think up something new, and then have the memory of the original creep back again. Go figure. I think it is old timers disease.

But may be D. Aleaxander is right. Consider it a compliment, and just go on, or I guess you could confront him and punch him in the nose. :twisted: Just how much do you value his friendship? That was just a rhetorical question, you don't need to answer.

Tal Rules · January 2006

Hi Ednrg,

The answer to all this is reciprocate..

Take it as a compliment that the guy thinks enough of your playing to copy a few of your licks.. 8)
Then listen and observe his playing.. See something you like??? Pick it up..

Next time yall jam and he goes into his favorite lick, play it along with him.. That should surprise him and might be a good starting point for a double lead tune.. Who knows. 8)

Everyone I play with I can usually pick out something I like and try to emulate. 8)

The great jazz guitarist Howard Roberts said:

\"To copy one guy is plagarism\"
\"To copy two or more guys is research\"

See Ya,

Tal

Kewlpack · January 2006

Don't take it the wrong way (like others have said here)...he obviously likes your style enough to emulate it. If it isn't going to CD, then it isn't a big deal.

Think about how aggravated EVH or Satch or Yngwie would be if it bothered them that folks copied their stuff!!

At the same time, I would be up front (but nice) and say, \"Oh yeah, that's a great spin off of that riff I showed you a few weeks ago!\"

You know, put a positive angle on it - encourage him to take it further - maybe both of you stretch the riff out as far as you can and see how different you can make it from the other.

Music is a cooperation and definitely not a solo thing. 8) We are always reproducing things that we've already heard (even if it's with a different perspective).

Just a few thoughts.

To answer your question directly - Yes, I have jammin' buddies that copy things I do - and I copy their stuff too... and in a jam, we'll trade riffs/leads and tricks... it's all in fun and we have a blast. But we don't have any \"territory\" so to speak... it's a free for all and we learn off each other.

0Dannyboy · January 2006

I can hear ya ednrg :? You Know sometimes I think I have come up with something kind of original and then I listen to Zepplin and Page (there not even one of my favorite bands) and realize that he has played every single groove that I could ever hope to think of better than I ever will... already :oops: Be flattered your buddy digs your stuff,HE knows where he got his cool licks

You can file this under \"stupid trivia\":

I read in Eddies early club days before they released \"you really got me\" that when he played the bars he would turn his back to the audiance to hide some of his patented moves from other guitarist who would come to the show to rip him off. I think he also said one of his friends bands tried to rush release the tune once he showed him the demo...go figure. :x But since none of us here are EDDie Van Halen I think your style is safe... :shock: for now ...that is untill we all evenutally get our 15 min. of fame 8) ...when that time comes I better not hear any of youguys ripping me or ednrg off :!: :twisted: :twisted: :shock:

8)

ACWild · January 2006

I had a friend do that a lot. It felt like a thief was visiting each time and it drove me nuts. After we jam, he would play all that he stole to others and have them believe he came up with it. Back then, I didn't view theft as any form of compiment.

Record your riffs and jam session. Then when he comes around in a month, beat him with the tape. Public humiliation will further his pain, so have some witnesses. That's what I used to do until my therapist advised against it.

ednrg · January 2006

Even though my stuff is not worth stealing :oops: , it becomes a little annoying when someone comes over and they play the exact same thing that you played for them.

When he plays me his new tune, I usually say \"dude, I played you that a while back\", and then play it the recorded riff via Sonar. At that point, he realizes that he is playing the same thing, and gets pissed.

I'm not under any delusions that my stuff is any good :oops: , but it does mean something to me. I am not against colaborations with other people, in fact, I love it.

On some level, I do take it as a complement.

I can't help wondering how others have reacted when he played it for them. I love to hear people's reactions good/bad (mostly bad :shock: ). It's probably more of a frustration that I haven't played it for people myself.

0Dannyboy · January 2006

I hope my remarks didnt come off as slighting your music in anyway ednrg.

Its hard to get the mood of what you are saying to come across online sometimes.

I was refering to myself mostley about originality. Sometimes I think everything I have ever written is probabley just a regurgitation of everything I have ever heard. I don't mean to rip other peoples music off but I have the feeling my brain just rearranges diffrent musical peices I have been hearing all my life in to such a way that I think I came up with it myself :oops:.

Since this guy ripps off all your parts anyway sounds like he would be the perfect rythm guitarist to play with, it would be like Jammin to your own loops live.

good luck with your buddy musical enlightenment.

ednrg · January 2006

No offense taken at all. Those faces are faces of embarrassment, not rage.

I meant it when I said I didn't think it was worth stealing. It may be a case of \"I'm my own worst critic.\"

Maybe playing riffs for other people would actually encourage me, and break me out of the realm of inadequacy.

D.Alexander · January 2006

There are a lot of musicians / songwrtiers who will go to many lengths in avoiding other peoples uncut songs. They are scared that the song or some part of it will get stuck there in the back of thier heads only to come out somtime later as their own original work. I have the same fear when trying to come up with somthing. The fact that every note and most every chord has been played allready over and over and recorded so many times really creates a scenerio where re-creating someone elses material is a certain reality. I am confident that most people do this subconciously but then, there are some others who do it intentionally. The rule is a string of 8 notes or more and you could get sued. Of course this only applies to comercial material, but in terms of integrity and respect to anyones creative work it is somthing a lot of people are concerned with.
I'd have to say if this guy is coppin your stuff consciously and parading it around he's got an un-cool side. He dosen't date any of your ex-girlfreinds does he?
:shock:

Terranaut · January 2006

I had a friend that used to cover my songs in his band. He always gave me credit at gigs, but the fact was, he played them badly. Made me cringe when I heard him play. But...these days I don't care if he plays them with a kazoo. Everything is open to interpretation and I've probably stolen more licks than him anyway. Thats what players do. What you do with your stolen treasures is what really counts.

0Dannyboy · January 2006

I remember going to an all original show in the 80s and hearing all my lyrics bieng sung to someone elses music very badley :? ...Turns out along time ago I had come over and jammed with the guy and dropped one of my lyric sheets out of my guitar case...when I asked him during break he had a lame a$$ excuse of \"oh I thought they were mine\" or somthin like that ....so lame. :roll:

Kewlpack · January 2006

\0Dannyboy\ wrote:

I remember going to an all original show in the 80s and hearing all my lyrics bieng sung to someone elses music very badley :? ...Turns out along time ago I had come over and jammed with the guy and dropped one of my lyric sheets out of my guitar case...when I asked him during break he had a lame a$$ excuse of \"oh I thought they were mine\" or somthin like that ....so lame. :roll:

That's exactly what happened to me way back in the late '70's... some guy named Eddie was over and took some of my sheet music - a couple years later - it's on his band's album as \"Eruption\"!!! Talk about a cheap shot...

The gall....

HEHehehehehehe.

0Dannyboy · January 2006

Ya I know \"stairway to Albuquerque\"that was my Idea too. :evil:

iliace · January 2006

Drummer in my band always claims that he wrote parts which most definitely were written by me. But then again, sometimes he'll claim that I wrote parts that he'd written.

glp_78 · January 2006

This happens lots of times. Don't worry about it though, as an early guitarist that's all I did was copy licks from bands like Zep, Hendrix, and so on. It's all part of learning. If you record something that you feel IS worthwhile and may actually go somewhere, cough up the change and get a copyright.

Slacker G · January 2006

What? Steal my licks?

I have a friend that owns a recording studio. He is quite an accomplished guitar picker. One day while in a frenzy he called me after hearing a song that I had picked lead on for a friend. He said Listen to my \"Slacker G\" lick! And he played a song that he had just finished recording for a client.
He had tried to copy it as well as he could, but it didn't sound quite right. {Being a finger picker, I usually have a bass pattern going along with my lead line. } He was proud as can be of his version. Then he went on to tell me how he picked the lead line, then double tracked an alternate bass line over the top. (*^&%$#(* cheaters.
I guess it should have been flattering. But it was still my riff, and he was getting paid for it. I did my best not to encourage him. Maybe it's funny.

Do any of you have a friend like this?

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