Hi Alan,

A good example of what you're talking about is Eva Cassidy's version of "Over The Rainbow" (found at the below link)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RDmXsGeiF8

I reckon that if Eva's version was played as an instrumental, no-one would know what the original song was. There are little snippets of phrases that hint at the original melody but, for the most part, the melody is essentially a whole new song. I suspect that upon hearing it, people would feel a sense of familiarity but not necessarily know why.

Since chord progressions are generally not copyrightable, if Eva sang different words, I bet that this would standalone as a whole new song.

For what it's worth: Using a chord progression from a song and writing a new melody over the top of it is recommended by just about every songwriting book I've read as a great way to start learning how to song-write.

Regards,
Noel

Last edited by Noel96; 05/25/13 06:28 AM.
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