Writing “Similar” Tunes Without Nicking Anyone’s Copyright

Every creator eventually asks the same dangerous question:

“Can you make it sound like that… but not, you know… that?”

It’s the musical equivalent of asking a baker for a Colin the Caterpillar that definitely isn’t Colin the Caterpillar, while winking so hard you sprain an eyelid.

The good news: you can write music that sits in the same “vibe family” as a reference track without breaching copyright.
The bad news: you need to do it deliberately — because your brain is a pattern-matching machine with the morals of a magpie.

1) Understand what copyright actually bites

In simple terms (and yes, lawyers will add footnotes the size of Wales):

• Copyright protects the specific expression of a musical idea (melody/lyrics, and sometimes distinctive combinations).

• It does not protect general style: genre, instrumentation, tempo, “80s synth vibe”, “epic trailer feel”, “lo-fi beats to mark homework to”.

Most problems happen when:

• the melody is too close,

• the hook rhythm is unmistakably similar,

• or the signature combination of melody + harmony + rhythm ends up “recognisably the same song wearing a moustache”.

2) The “reference track” trick: analyse, don’t imitate

Use reference tracks like a science teacher uses a demo experiment: we’re learning the principles, not pinching the apparatus.

Make a quick checklist from the reference:

• Tempo range (e.g., 95–105 BPM)

• Feel (straight, swung, halftime)

• Instrument palette (pads, plucks, guitars, piano, etc.)

• Structure (8-bar intro, drop at bar 17, short stinger ending)

• Energy curve (where it builds, where it breathes)

Crucially: treat the melody as radioactive. Observe it from behind glass.

3) Write a new melody first — then build the vibe around it

If you do harmony + beat + sound design first, your melody will “magically” fall into the same notes as the reference because your ear is already guided there.

Instead:

1. Write a melody without the reference playing.

2. Change one major “melody identity marker”:

   • Contour (shape): if theirs rises then drops, do drop then rise.

   • Rhythmic motif: if theirs goes long-long-short-short, make yours short-long-short-long.

   • Starting note: move the home base away from theirs.

A handy sanity check: sing your melody a cappella. If it instantly reminds you of the reference, it’s too close.

4) Harmony: use the same function, not the same chords

Many pop tracks share progressions. That’s fine. But copying the exact progression and the same bass movement and the same rhythmic placement is where you drift into “tribute act”.

Try:

• Keep the same emotional function (e.g., uplifting → tension → release)

• Swap in alternatives:

  • Change key

  • Substitute chords (relative minors/majors, add 7ths/9ths)

  • Alter bass notes (inversions)

  • Change harmonic rhythm (how often chords change)

5) Rhythm: borrow the feel, not the fingerprint

Rhythm is often what makes something recognisable.

To keep it safe:

• Change the drum pattern accents (kick/snare placement)

• Change the syncopation

• Change the groove template (straight vs swung vs shuffled)

• Change the hook rhythm if it matches the reference hook

If your listener can clap your hook and accidentally clap the other song… that’s a warning light.

6) Sound design can suggest a world — but don’t clone a signature sound

Using “a warm analogue pad with gentle chorus” is one thing. Recreating a famous, distinctive patch or a very identifiable production gimmick is another.

Safer moves:

• Use a different lead instrument

• Change octave/register

• Change envelope (pluck vs swell)

• Change articulation (legato vs staccato)

• Change effects chain (delay timing/reverb size/modulation)

7) The “three changes” rule (practical, not legal)

For any element that feels close (melody, bass line, hook rhythm), make at least three meaningful changes:

• Notes

• Rhythm

• Starting point

• Phrasing

• Register

• Instrument

• Tempo/groove

• Harmony underneath

It’s not a legal shield — it’s a good creative discipline.

8) The safest workflow for content creators (YouTube, blogs, courses)

If you’re making background tracks for videos (science demos, sailing clips, drone footage, etc.), you want music that:

• supports the message

• loops cleanly

• doesn’t distract

• is unquestionably original

Try this recipe:

• Two-chord or four-chord loop

• Simple, original top-line motif (2–4 notes)

• One “ear candy” element every 8 bars (a little riser, fill, or variation)

• Minimal melodic density during speech

You’ll end up with something useful, repeatable, and safely yours.

9) The “someone else’s opinion” test

Before you publish:

• Play your track to someone who knows the reference.

• Ask: “Does this remind you of that track?”

• If they say yes immediately, rewrite the melody/hook rhythm.

And if you want to be extra cautious, run it past a music professional or rights specialist — especially if it’s for a paid campaign.

10) The golden rule

If the goal is “make it close enough that people think it’s that”… you’re aiming at the wrong target.

Aim for: same brief, same energy, your own musical DNA.

That way you’re not just avoiding trouble — you’re building a recognisable sound of your own.

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Quick “do this / avoid this” checklist

Do

• Analyse tempo/feel/instruments/structure

• Write melody away from reference

• Change contour + rhythm + starting note

• Use function-based harmony, not copy-paste chords

• Get a “does it remind you of…?” listener test

Avoid

• Copying the hook melody (even slightly “reshaped”)

• Matching hook rhythm + chord rhythm + bass movement

• Using the same signature sound + same melodic shape

• Keeping the reference playing while composing the topline