I don't really want to read 10 pages of arguing but I just wanted to mention that there is a lot more that goes into winning a suit like this than just having a section of your song sound like someone else's song. If there is a certain percentage of difference between the songs, the suit won't hold up. I really think Satriani's case will be pretty weak, but I still expect they settle out of court for a decent sum. I don't really anticipate us hearing about this that much again unless Satriani turns out to be a greedy bastard trying to teach coldplay a "lesson".

Also, from wiki: According to the U.S. copyright law, in the absence of a confession, musicians who accuse others of stealing their work must prove "access" — the alleged plagiarizer must have heard the song — and "similarity" — the songs must share unique musical components.[2] though it is difficult to come to a definition of what is "similarity".

So they'd have to have pretty good proof chris or one of the other boys is a satriani fan...

Some thoughts on various issues raised here:

 

-First off, let me say I respect Satch as a technically skilled player, but am in no way a fan of his music (or other music in that genre.) IMHO, the ability to play fast, or do that damn finger tapping thing, misses the whole point of what guitar (and more broadly all music) should be about, namely expressing emotion though said music. For the record, I think JB is a good, but not great, guitar player (and I think he'd likely tell you the same thing.) he's a competent player whose style suits his bands music well. He is also an excellent slide player. (I defy anyone even those who are not fans to deny this).

 

-While Satch is about as well known as ayone within the "instrumental/progressive" genre, said genre is not exceedingly popular an as such he is not particularly well known. The fact is if you surveyed 1000 random people, I doubt most of them would have heard of either Satch or JB. Certainly neither of them rises to the true level of household name. In that catagory, you're talking about guys like Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Jii Hendrix, The Edge, Angus Young et. al.

That said, I do agree that it is ludicrous to equate Satch's relative lack of reknown with a coresponding lack of playing ability.

 

-The only part of the song that sounds similar to me is the chord progression. However, the chord progression in question could well have been arrived at by both artists independantly. If Satch is claiming more similarity than that, IMHO, he's got no case.

 

Just my two cents:cool:...

Some thoughts on various issues raised here:

 

-First off, let me say I respect Satch as a technically skilled player, but am in no way a fan of his music (or other music in that genre.) IMHO, the ability to play fast, or do that damn finger tapping thing, misses the whole point of what guitar (and more broadly all music) should be about, namely expressing emotion though said music. For the record, I think JB is a good, but not great, guitar player (and I think he'd likely tell you the same thing.) he's a competent player whose style suits his bands music well. He is also an excellent slide player. (I defy anyone even those who are not fans to deny this).

 

-While Satch is about as well known as ayone within the "instrumental/progressive" genre, said genre is not exceedingly popular an as such he is not particularly well known. The fact is if you surveyed 1000 random people, I doubt most of them would have heard of either Satch or JB. Certainly neither of them rises to the true level of household name. In that catagory, you're talking about guys like Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Jii Hendrix, The Edge, Angus Young et. al.

That said, I do agree that it is ludicrous to equate Satch's relative lack of reknown with a coresponding lack of playing ability.

 

-The only part of the song that sounds similar to me is the chord progression. However, the chord progression in question could well have been arrived at by both artists independantly. If Satch is claiming more similarity than that, IMHO, he's got no case.

 

Just my two cents:cool:...

Off topic but a good point...

 

Was there any lawsuits concerning these two songs?

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXSMcmnDlwY]YouTube - Green Day Vs Oasis[/ame]

 

I think it's a strange coincidence. Coldplay vs. Joe Satriani

 

I mean Look at The Game of Love by Santana.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yoGTVzgow8]YouTube - The Game of love - Santana feat. Michelle Branch[/ame]

 

Similar sounding song. I mean Elvis ripped off soul, etc. etc.

 

BTW, Joe...Santana would kick your a$H in "guitar hero".

 

Coldplay can write lyrics and make videos. Their music is somewhat above average, but their lyrical genius and video creation (just look at "The Scientist") is awesome.

 

Michael

It's interesting that Coldplay and their people are refusing to comment on the matter, perhaps they're not allowed to.

 

Chris did mention this a month or so ago though, at the Yahoo gig, so Satch has obviously been in contact with the band prior to filing the suit. Perhaps he tried to get some sort of pay-off out of them privately and they refused...

 

I agree with whoever said The Creaky Boards may have done Coldplay a favour though, same with the accusations about the Ailzee song...they all focus on the same section of melody.

Also don't really want to read the 10 other pages...but I can see a little similarity but not enough to have a legitimate case.

 

It's seems as though (and it is kind of smart) he thought he wanted to ride the (non political) coattails of Coldplay. Jump in and get a little recognition while he can...

He's actually suing now? Wow, I gave him the benefit of the doubt before when his fans were crying "rip-0ff", but this move is just plain lame. Look, the key is different, the notes are different and it's only 5 or 6 notes (more like 4 in Joe's case) out of a huge guitar song. There are thousands of song with that tiny melody, and I'm sure hundreds are a lot more accurate with respect to Satriani's song than VLV. But no, he has to go after coldplay because they're big right now, and he could use the money and free publicity.

Say it ain't so Joe, your respect meter just took a nose-dive.

 

As I've said before, if anyone should sue, it's coldplay about ashlee simpson's butchered rip-off of square one...

 

[ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cRv_yMg5nvw&feature=related]YouTube - Coldplay v. Ashlee Simpson: Plagiarism?[/ame]

This has happened to a lot of musicians over the years

 

 

here is one example

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_Sweet_Symphony

^bittersweet wasn't plagiarism though. They requested and were allowed to use a sample of the song, just as coldplay got permission from kraftwerk for talk.

oops......BUSTED!!!

I was really mad when i read that! Lets kill that guy...whats his name?....wait it doesnt matter!

C, D, G, Em... the sound of a progressively climbing rhymthm. If i could fly sounds similar because it has that lifting feeling that progression has.

 

This guy has no case, hes a fool for trying and they'll throw this out of court.

 

Even then CP have done far more with this song with the simple rhythm that isnt even on a guitar than Joe did.

 

That 50 year old guitarist who will be forgotten with CP take over U2's crown.

 

[ame=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wJAIh_gB2hs]YouTube - Zelda - Great Fairy Theme Beautiful Orchestration[/ame]

 

Nintendo should get suing...

C, D, G, Em... the sound of a progressively climbing rhymthm. If i could fly sounds similar because it has that lifting feeling that progression has.

 

This guy has no case, hes a fool for trying and they'll throw this out of court.

 

Even then CP have done far more with this song with the simple rhythm that isnt even on a guitar than Joe did.

 

That 50 year old guitarist who will be forgotten with CP take over U2's crown.

 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wJAIh_gB2hs

 

Nintendo should get suing...

Ya he probably just sued now cause he was trying to get money out of Caoldplay first but since that probably didnt happened he decided to sue!

I've just listened to the song "If I Could Fly" (singer Satriani) but it doesn't look that much as "Viva La Vida". I hope the lawsuit will come to an end quickly. So many songs look like each others. Have you noticed ? Sometimes, i listen to a song and it reminds me another song, the beginning or the end. :angry:

Remember that Ashlee Simpson song, which seemed to have Jonny's exact guitar part from Square One? *shrug*

^ that song sounds so much like Square One!....Coldplay should sue!

No, no they shouldn't. Because if Coldplay should sue, then so should Joe ;) That was my point :P

he is wasting his fucking time. to me this guitar song sounds more like santana than coldplay.

there is similarites like i can see where he is coming from but not enough. I don't think it will stand up in court. He just wants ATTENTION!

No, no they shouldn't. Because if Coldplay should sue, then so should Joe ;) That was my point :P

 

Hhahaa i was playing....:laugh3:

Hello folks, this is my first posting on here - and thought I'd give my thoughts on this story, which I only read about from the BBC's website earlier this evening.

 

Basically, I think it'll all blow over - I don't doubt Satriani's ability as a guitarist (which is exceptional, it has to be said) and a composer, but I think he's a tad deluded if he thinks he's the only musician in the world who has come up with that melody. I think he'll look rather silly if it does end up going to court - when I first heard Viva La Vida, I thought to myself that it reminded me of another song...but unable to put my finger on what that song was...but so what? It's still a top song, whether it allegedly sounds like another song or not. I know some people have cited the the George Harrison/The Chiffons case earlier in the thread - the difference with that was that the actual construction of "My Sweet Lord" was extremely similar to "He's So Fine", even down to key changes and vocal arrangements, which probably led to the decision of plagiarism being evident in that case. I've heard the Satriani song - and yes, a section of the main guitar melody sounds like the vocal melody in VLV...and that's about it. The rest of the song doesn't bear too much similarity to VLV.

 

It always amuses me when I hear accusations of plagiarism - after all, there are only 13 notes in an octave, and even allowing for pitch differences, there's bound to be a song SOMEWHERE in the world that sounds like a song SOMEWHERE else in the world. I'm a big death metal fan - I know that people who don't like that style or are unfamiliar with it think every song in that genre sounds like every other song. And the chances are that there are a large number of matches in that genre (let's face it, they all play in a minor key, and all use a handful of chords, so there's bound to be some musical "Snap" going on!). But there's never any accusation of plagiarism going on within that genre - basically because it's not worth it the effort.

 

Oh by the way, a quick hello to the poster on here called Satchfan - good to see you're devoted to the Satch in such a big way, but do bear in mind that there are people in here who might not have heard Satriani before, and that there are people in here who think that Jonny Buckland is the best guitarist in the world in their opinion - after all, it IS a Coldplay forum! - and you coming on here trying to compare what, in guitar playing terms, is chalk and cheese, is - to be honest - a little bit pointless, and makes you look like you've drank a bottle of wine made from sour grapes. ;)

 

Oh...and John Petrucci of Dream Theater is the best guitarist on the G3 tour!! :lol:

Let's have a little bit of clarity people and not waves of fanatical emotion.

 

I am a fan of both Coldplay AND Satriani.

 

I wake up every morning to Clocks and have ever since I bought the album right after it was released. I also play the guitar. I happen to have met Satriani in person on multiple occasions now. Yes, I'm "old" and over 30 although I won't give you my exact age. Suffice to say, I like both Coldplay and Satriani and I don't usually compare them because I think of Coldplay as a band and Satriani as an instrumentalist. I like both of them and their music.

 

However, after reading some of these replies, I'm ashamed of the fact that there are Coldplay fans here who are so eager to disparage one of the greatest guitar legends of our time.

 

I am not the type to post on message boards. I usually never register and hang back and read. But the ignorance some of you have shown is astounding and I felt obligated to say something. Part of why I never post is because I cannot state anything in a few words, so I apologize for the novel.

 

The reason Coldplay is not commenting is because their legal counsel likely told them they should not. This is a no-brainer. You don't talk about legal happenings while they're going on. This does not mean they are guilty or anything.

 

That being said, the melody is VERY similar and it's no wonder that Satriani's counsel advised him to sue. I've discussed this topic with some other musicians and they all agree that Satriani has a much bigger beef with the similarity than the Creaky Boards.

 

I went to a Satriani concert last month (yes, imagine that...someone who goes to see both Coldplay AND Satriani...can you believe a person like me exists???). My wife bought me a special meet & greet package where you got to sit in on a very small 45 minute Q&A session before the concert. (I also got my guitar signed by him afterwards, yay). I found it interesting when a fellow fan asked Satriani if he thought there were any resemblances between the songs. Satriani, who is a very humble and friendly guy, simply said "My legal counsel has advised me not to discuss this".

 

My wife is an attorney and she and I discussed this afterwards and knew it was only a matter of time. She is also a huge fan of both Coldplay and Satriani. She is also a very accomplished musician. After listening to the songs back to back (and also the meshed version with them overlapping), she had no doubt that Satriani would likely end up suing.

 

As much as she loves Coldplay though, she does not fault Satriani for doing so and neither do I. What many of you don't know is that Satriani actually likes Coldplay and has no vendetta against them or jealousy over their success. Satriani is a guy who simply likes to play the guitar. He has no financial difficulties and has mentioned numerous times that he doesn't care about being in the limelight. He plays because he loves the guitar. The guy is truly a genuinely nice guy and he's no Yngwie Malmsteen (who has a horrible personality).

 

So no, those theories about greed or jealousy are completely unfounded. Satriani does not hate Coldplay. This is simply about a very eerie similarity to melodies. The legal proceedings are standard procedure and I can't believe it hasn't happened before now. They'll play along in the background and both Coldplay and Satriani will be around afterwards and their fans will still love them. Believe it or not, Coldplay DOES know who Satriani is as they've mentioned him by name in an old interview. While I personally feel that Coldplay may have inadvertently copied the melody, I will still listen to their songs. The fact is, when you're creating a song, you sometimes play stuff that you heard before but don't consciously realize you heard. I would be appalled if Coldplay had NOT heard Satriani's album at some point prior to their creative songwriting process. They're musician's and they probably listen to more music than you.

 

In the end, there isn't much to this. Move on. Coldplay is still a great band and Satriani is still one of the greatest guitarists. But if you feel blind rabid fandom overtaking you and you feel compelled to disparage Satriani, at least get your facts straight and don't look like an ignorant moron. Saying nobody knows who he is just shows some of us that you really don't have much knowledge about music in general. Or perhaps you've never picked up Rolling Stone or read any articles about the great musicians of our age.

 

I probably won't have a chance to respond to this as I'm about to leave work for the weekend and I have a life to attend to. So I will simply leave by saying chill out and have a nice weekend. My old age may cause me to forget I posted this too. :\

They need you in the Ultimate guitar thread far more than they need you here mr long poster !!!

I can see the similarities, but in my opinion, Coldplay are untouchable at the minute, theyre just too popular for Satriani to get backing by the press off this.

^^^ Great post. The thing that makes me suspicius of Satriani is the fact that he HADN'T sued before. Why wait until yesterday, right after the Grammy noms?