Author Topic: How is it possible for two separate bands to get the same musical idea?  (Read 3877 times)

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Offline bosk1

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Thread title doesn't really explain what I mean, but there is a character limit, so...  Anyway, the full question is:  How is it possible for two completely separate bands to come up with almost the same identical music at the same time without hearing one another?  Obviously, it happens all the time that a band hears something and is inspired by it, and it sits in their subconscious and comes right out when they are writing.  That isn't the case here.  Let me show you what I mean.  Go here and listen to track #10, specifically the stop/start riff toward the end of the sample:  https://www.amazon.com/UnEarthed-Vol-2/dp/B000QQVK1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1275345407&sr=8-1

Listening to that, anyone who has ever heard Whitesnake would inevitably say "Hey, the stole the riff from Slow An' Easy note for note!"

But here's the thing:  They were in the studio writing that song at the same time Whitesnake were halfway around the world writing the songs for Slide It In.  That's what boggles the mind.  How can this be?  I leave it for you all to ponder.  Needless to say, when Whitesnake's album came out, Y&T's song ended up on the cutting room floor.
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Offline ClairvoyantCat

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Thread title doesn't really explain what I mean, but there is a character limit, so...  Anyway, the full question is:  How is it possible for two completely separate bands to come up with almost the same identical music at the same time without hearing one another?  Obviously, it happens all the time that a band hears something and is inspired by it, and it sits in their subconscious and comes right out when they are writing.  That isn't the case here.  Let me show you what I mean.  Go here and listen to track #10, specifically the stop/start riff toward the end of the sample:  https://www.amazon.com/UnEarthed-Vol-2/dp/B000QQVK1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1275345407&sr=8-1

Listening to that, anyone who has ever heard Whitesnake would inevitably say "Hey, the stole the riff from Slow An' Easy note for note!"

But here's the thing:  They were in the studio writing that song at the same time Whitesnake were halfway around the world writing the songs for Slide It In.  That's what boggles the mind.  How can this be?  I leave it for you all to ponder.  Needless to say, when Whitesnake's album came out, Y&T's song ended up on the cutting room floor.
I don't see how else I can answer it without saying the word coincidence, unless you believe it's some telepathic or supernatural connection...

Offline Dr. SeaWolf

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Maybe since both bands play a similar form of hard rock/heavy metal, and were probably inspired by the same music scene at the time, they both coincidentally came up with the same riff just because they had the same ideas about what would sound good.

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Offline lateralus88

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Fuckin music, how does it work?
I felt its length in quite a few places.

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Offline Gadough

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Fuckin music, how does it work?

The only acceptable answer.
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Offline Sigz

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I can hold music, and I know how it works.

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Offline MetalManiac666

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I can hold music, and I know how it works.

Magnets too.

You be lyin' an' gettin' me pissed.

Offline kirbywelch92

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I would say that the musical ideas that Whitesnake come up with, are not exactly difficult musical ideas to replicate. Not that 80's rock isn't great or enjoyable, it's just not that hard to figure out.

Offline LeeHarveyKennedy

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Re: I be gettin' pissed
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2010, 11:55:43 PM »
I can hold music, and I know how it works.

Magnets too.

You be lyin' an' gettin' me pissed.

If y'all muthafuckas lyin', then we are not a match.
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Online ReaperKK

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I say coincidence, think of all the music that is being constantly created every single day, bound to happen.

Offline OperantChamber

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What about Septic Flesh's Communion and the Meow Mix jingle?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV70IKozSbY

Most of their music is pretty serious so I doubt it was done on purpose.

Offline rumborak

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I would categorize this one into the "instrument-driven" coincidences. What happens is that due to how a certain instrument is set up, people will come up with similar ideas because of that. The said musical figure is an octave jump that invites itself on a guitar since it's very easy to play on it.
This figure appears in slightly different versions in My Sharona, at the end of 2112 etc. etc.

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« Last Edit: June 01, 2010, 02:59:10 PM by Jabba the rak »
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Offline dedSurroun

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If you exist within the same musical world, this is bound to happen. There are no infinite musical possibilities, at least if you only live, move, and have your being in the Western musical sphere. Most chord progressions, etc. have probably already been used. Repeats and coincidences like these are to be expected, and are probably very common.
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Online King Postwhore

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Wow, that is uncanny, but rumbo is right.  I've got to say that if your in the music buisness a long time, it's only common to hear a riff somewjere that you've heard before, though bosk1's point is that this came out at the same time.  Certain styles in cetain era's of music are similar and this is just 3 planets lining up to the sun once in a millions years.

How the hell did you know this bosk1?  Did you by both albums at the time?  It's just sooooo similar!!
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The more simple and basic riff is, the more probable it is that it happens like that.
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Offline bosk1

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I realize it is only a coincidence.  I just marvel at how uncanny it is, as Shmeg said.

...bosk1's point is that this came out at the same time...

How the hell did you know this bosk1?  Did you by both albums at the time?  It's just sooooo similar!!

It came up on my iTunes yesterday, and I was reminded.  The song is on Y&T's equivalent of DT's "official bootlegs."  A few years back, they released two volumes of 35 unreleased songs spanning their entire career, from before their first album up to the present.  Like what Mike does for the Ytsejam releases, there were detailed liner notes explaining whatever details the band could remember about each song.  I remember them saying for that one that they had finished recording and were making the final selection for the album tracks when somebody brought in the "brand new" Whitesnake album and played it, and the reaction was, "well, I guess that eliminates this song from consideration."
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Offline TAC

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Wow Bosk, that's pretty exact..

and also how do 3 songs, all released in 1983 by seperate bands all have the same opening riff?
Dio's Stand Up And Shout
Saxon's Power And The Glory
Accept's Flash Rockin' Man


Actually the same riff was done a couple of years earlier on Riot's Swords And Tequila..
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline lateralus88

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Venom's "Welcome to Hell"
Mercyful Fate's "Curse of the Pharaohs"
Iron Maiden's "2 Minutes to Midnight"

Notice anything similar in that opening riff?
I felt its length in quite a few places.

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Offline TAC

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Venom's "Welcome to Hell"
Mercyful Fate's "Curse of the Pharaohs"
Iron Maiden's "2 Minutes to Midnight"

Notice anything similar in that opening riff?
Yup, same as the ones in my post!
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Online King Postwhore

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I realize it is only a coincidence.  I just marvel at how uncanny it is, as Shmeg said.

...bosk1's point is that this came out at the same time...

How the hell did you know this bosk1?  Did you by both albums at the time?  It's just sooooo similar!!

It came up on my iTunes yesterday, and I was reminded.  The song is on Y&T's equivalent of DT's "official bootlegs."  A few years back, they released two volumes of 35 unreleased songs spanning their entire career, from before their first album up to the present.  Like what Mike does for the Ytsejam releases, there were detailed liner notes explaining whatever details the band could remember about each song.  I remember them saying for that one that they had finished recording and were making the final selection for the album tracks when somebody brought in the "brand new" Whitesnake album and played it, and the reaction was, "well, I guess that eliminates this song from consideration."

That's a neat story.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2010, 02:12:09 PM by kingshmegland »
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Offline Sir GuitarCozmo

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No matter how big or how small, little similarities will pop up.  They even in quick little pieces.  I was reminded of this in a recent Kiss Survivor:

There's a riff in Under the Rose (ed. - Kiss - Music from the Elder) that's almost exactly the same as the pre-solo riff in "Jaded Heart" by Dokken.  I'll see if I can find the two and post the comparison.

EDIT:  Here they are.  Not exact, but fairly close - How the hell do I notice these things?

Under the Rose Link

Jaded Heart Link