WEll, I once played an awesome riff on bass. Then, I realized I was playing Megadeth's Five Magics. I also ripped off a Hammerfall song on drum without having heard of it.

This is something that I am always paranoid about, when I write Often I get a feeling of deja vu, when listening to my own creations and rarely (more like never) do I actually discover that I have created a rip-off, but the nagging feeling is still there. I suppose this is something that all amateur (and maybe professional) musicians experience.

Change the riff: picking, palm muting, move the accent(s), change the key, change the scale, omit or add notes, look for complementary riffs (variations), etc.. As an exercise, I took the riffs from Enter Sandman and played them like I thought they could have been if written for previous albums. Just have fun with it and don't be afraid to throw something away if it isn't right. You might just find what you're looking for if you let go of one idea.

I think I have accidentally did this but I have no clue if I have or not. I woke up with a tune in my head, and laid it down in Guitar Pro and then imported it into a DAW and used VIs to make it sound decent. Honestly, if anyone knows where this melody comes from, then please tell me so I can look it up.



EDIT: It's not metal at all, by the way. Not in the slightest.

I "wrote" the intro to Death's "The Philosopher," but in my defense I had not heard the album yet! ..or had I?

All I know is I heard that song and I'm like, "Ah, shit! I liked that lick, too!!"

Bah, oh well. Obscura's "Velocity" features a breakdown that is practically identical to Mahavishnu Orchestra, but in their case I'm pretty sure it's an homage. It's almost exactly perfect, so I think they did it as a tribute.