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#464434 03/27/18 04:26 PM
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This is my attempt at the hank Williams alt song placement on Songtradr. Yeah I took the Melody straight from ole Hank, but, you know he's dead now and i don't think he will really mind. THis is the first time that I have tried writing like this and it is fun. The song came out good whether it is selected or not. Enjoy

https://soundcloud.com/cliftondykes/my-redhaired-baby-edit-1-export-1

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Fun song Clifton! Hopefully you changed it enough. From what I understand they like something that's similar (for example similar enough to play in the same radio playlist with the referenced artist) but different enough to stand on it's own. I thought the harmonies were a little to out front but I'm listening on different headphones so it could be just me. I enjoyed it. Good luck!

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Yeah it is probably to close. I used BIAB, drums, bass, and a rhthym guitar as my starting point on this. Harmonies are always a little iffy. Should they be louder, lower, depends on the style. Thanks Josie

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Nice work on this Cliftond smile While it does sounds similar and obviously takes from Hey Good Lookin', you definitely added your own twist and bit of character to it. Nothing quite like good old fashion classic country smile

Great job and thanks for sharing!


Cheers,
Deryk
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Sounds too close to me... but a nice listen.

George Harrison got sued over "My Sweet Lord" because of the similarity to "He's So Fine". Here's a tip from John Lennon:

Originally Posted By: John Lennon
"He must have known, you know," John Lennon told Playboy in 1980. "He's smarter than that. It's irrelevant, actually. . . only on a monetary level does it matter. He could have changed a couple of bars in that song and nobody could ever have touched him, but he just let it go and paid the price. Maybe he thought God would just sort of let him off."

At least no one's going to sue you, because there's no profit in it. Live and learn. smile

By the way, George finally recorded a non-copyright infringing version just before his death.


-- David Cuny

My virtual singer development blog
Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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HA, yeah me and Hank and Fred Rose will probably have a good laugh about this one day, I may let Hank record it if he asks.

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I enjoyed this a lot, a whole lot, but yeah, it's too close.

smile

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I don't think your vocals will be considered a rip... they are pleasantly different in numerous spots... and the harmony part sets the chorus off as being different... the only part that truly screams "Hey Good Looking" is the middle instrumental break... overall you have produced an enjoyable song... Good luck on your song placement.


Jim
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Jim #464611 03/28/18 01:03 PM
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Thank you Jim, yeah the instrumental is pure Hank, ha, should have changed that a bit. Well they listened to it and haven't dismissed it yet. i should have done a little more work on changing it up some. Still a good song.

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You have done well with this. I feel it could work. Need to pull the vocals back a touch and add some delay. Good effort. Rob.

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Loved this tune. Super vocal and backtrack. Sure sounds like a Hank song to me..


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Thanks Rob and Scott.

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Hey Clifton,

Thinking about it, I hope you did not take my comment on your song the wrong way. I absolutely loved it, as I said, and thought it was great. Great song, no question and well performed.

I just get asked by a lot of songwriters in my group to give my opinion on whether something is "too close" because they are actively trying to write songs that sound like hot artists.

So, I know the general rule (and it is tricky) is that if 8 notes in a row are identical (notes and phrasing) or nearly identical, then they can sue you.

So in some instances, my advice to people is "careful now....you're getting close."

So, I thought the song was wonderful, it is just in my gut after doing this a lot that I got that I got this "getting close, better be careful" vibe.

But I could be wrong.

Hope that makes sense and helps clarify.

I really love your songs man.

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Not to worry David, your point is valid. It is probably a little too close, I could change a few minor details and probably have it stand on it's own better. They say Hank Williams would use any melody for a song and that Fred Rose would give him some guidance on getting it a little less familiar to another song. I love your work David, feel free to give advice, opinions, I can accept constructive criticism, all of us need that at times.

Last edited by cliftond; 03/29/18 06:31 AM.
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Yeah, that's a pretty distinct melody. I don't know what the status of the royalties are now but someone's probably got a hold of it. It is really well done though!! Very old country traditional feel. Nice job!! Take care. Greg

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HA, well they shortlisted it, and then I guess it got knocked down afterward, and seems shortlisted again on another. Well it is a good song we enjoyed doing it.

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Hello, Clifton

Good old fashion classic country tune!
A very fun song.
As many others said, similar enough but different enough.
Whenever I write songs, I also always keep in mind "similar enough but different enough".
Your vocals are really comfortable.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

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Hey, Songtradr is in the clear given that you had to sign off that you owned all the rights to it smile We've posted a number of Public Domain songs to ST -- I've always wondered to what degree they vet them.

You did a fine job of capturing the feel. My veery first memory of music is family members rolling up the carpet and dancing to Hank while my uncle played his songs on the accordion! So my love of HW goes waaaaaay back.

We enjoyed it!

J&B


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks!
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Sure it's close but that's ok! Man I like your stuff!! It has an authentic wonderful raw sound that I find most enjoyable! Keep on rockin' Thanks, Torrey

Last edited by Torrey Bliss; 04/04/18 12:07 PM.
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