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BUT the opening rift in “Smoke on the Water” is a lead line with a harmony. Thus it is copyrighted.

Ps – a so-called power chord is a note with a harmony i.e. the tonic and the fifth usually. A chord consists of three or more notes.




That is true. However, it would be extremly difficult to play this line with just (full) chords (of any kind) and have it NOT resembling Smoke On the Water and having it NOT recognised. Even with chords that do not include the root note.


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