Re: [Harp-L] plagarism

["Ben FELTEN [ML]" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My understanding of copyright laws (which may be more than imperfect) is 
that only melody and chord progressions together are copyrighted. Solos 
are not. So I'd say it's not copyright violation.

Now I'd say it's in bad taste if it's note from note from start to 
finish (like say playing LW's solo from My Babe in another song - 
especially self-penned), and I'd say it's pretty lame in general if the 
performer passes that as improvisation, but not any more lame than a 
certain famous harp player I know of who plays identical solos every 
night... Perhaps it's a little bit more pathetic.

Obviously we're not talking about either copping a few riffs (which may 
often be unconscious) or quoting for a few bars (which is usually a wink 
to the knowing audience).

So illegal, probably not, lame, definetely. Now if the guy can happily 
look at himself in the mirror and if his audience doesn't care, I'm not 
gonna loose sleep over it.

You're entitled to tell me in private if it's who I'm thinking of...

Ben
> I heard a well known harmonica player last weekend and found that this 
> person was taking solos note-for-note from Sonny Boy II and Little 
> Walter and inserting them into other songs without attribution, 
> therefore passing them off as original improvisations. I consider this 
> musical plagarism, probably commited to cover up a deficiency in 
> improvising. Does anyone agrees that this would constitute plagarism? 
> It is almost certainly a copyright violation. I don't want to name 
> this person at this point.
>
> -Glenn Weiser
>
>
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