# Remix others' ideas Take a chord progression you love and write a new melody to it. In jazz, this is called a contrafact. Chord progressions are not protected by copyright, however, be careful not to steal the chord progression as well as other elements like groove, instrumentation, tempo, etc.[^1] Jeff Tweedy says if he can still recall the original song, he discards or alters more.[^2] Use samples (but make sure to clear the licensing). Write new lyrics to an existing melody.[^2] Or write a new melody for existing lyrics. Keep a "morgue file" of things you'd like to remix later.[^3] Lastly, if you're going to *totally* rip something, you've got to add something to it to try to make it better.[^4] Shakespeare ripped things, but he made them better using the figures of rhetoric.[^5] He ripped sections of Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's *Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans* to be used in *The Tragedy of Anthony and Cleopatra*, and simply added [[Alliteration]].[^6] [^1]: [When a Chord Progression Might Be Protected by Copyright](https://www.secretsofsongwriting.com/2020/11/06/when-a-chord-progression-might-be-protected-by-copyright/?utm_source=pocket_mylist) [^2]: [[How to Write One Song]] ch. 19 [^3]: [[Steal Like an Artist]] pg. 22 [^4]: [What Makes This Song Stink Ep. 6 - Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQWfMI4CVFI) [^5]: [[The Elements of Eloquence]] pg. 7 [^6]: [[The Elements of Eloquence]] pg. 9-10