Jeff Evans
In the Jazz world the saying is "Giants stand on the shoulders of Giants"
 
 

I didn't know Sir Isaac Newton played jazz

If you can't place it, your friends can't place it, Shazam can't place it, then it's likely it never was written in the first place. If it was written and no one can place it, then it wasn't a very good song to begin with and you are on the wrong track to writing a hit song.

bjornpdx
Once in a while I come up with a melody that seems really familiar to me, like a fragment from another song, but I can't place it. I have other people listen to my melody and it doesn't sound familiar to them but I just know I've heard it somewhere before.

This happens to me all the time. I used to worry about it, but I stopped and I just record those suckers.
 
What the hell? Even if it turns out to be someone else's song, you're in good company.
http://www.youtube.com/wa...nIKUdMI&feature=kp

Great thread, and advice.  I also taught copyright law and these days you can sample just about anything without copyright issues.  However, it sounds like you passed the litmus test with your friends, Shazam, etc.  You are right in wanting to do something original and doing a little research to be sure it's not what you heard yesterday on the car radio is an ethical way to stay true to your music.  Hope you get the piece to completion for a good share....

I've found that most of the time when I've come up with something that sounds familiar, it really just reminds me of another song, rather than being an exact copy. I would just start working on it and see were it goes. Sometimes after working on a tune for a while I'm reminded what song I think it sounds like, or when it's fleshed out more others might find it easier to identify a matching song.
 
And it could be that it sounds familiar because it's a nice catchy melody.  

I'm sure that years and years ago I read about a program where you could whistle a melody and it would search a database of melodies and come up with a list of possible matches, even if you whistled it in the wrong key. But then again this comes under the general heading of "Things I Might Have Read But Am Equally As Likely To Have Dreamed." 

bjornpdx
...I have other people listen to my melody and it doesn't sound familiar to them but I just know I've heard it somewhere before...

Why not post it here and see if anyone recognises it.

Yeah, just go with it. Lawsuits are not as common as people tend to think.... If it's an infringement of someone's copyright, and you are making a lot of money from it, that certain someone's lawyer will let you know...... worry about it at that time.
 
I composed a tune which people here said it sounded really familiar. Yet, no one here could point to the artist or song they thought it came from....  in case you're curious:  http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9414184 

I composed a tune which people here said it sounded really familiar. Yet, no one here could point to the artist or song they thought it came from....  in case you're curious:  http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9414184 

 
Reminiscent of a popular church song, probably why no one can pinpoint an artist.  Not nearly an exact similarity except for the chord progression, which is not protected under copyright law anyway.  People have tried to sue over chord progressions before, but all the cases were thrown out.  
 
Melodies from songs under copyright are protected up to a certain number of notes apparently.  At least that was the claim of Stephen Schwartz when using the first seven notes of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" in his musical "Wicked."  

rumleymusic
 
Melodies from songs under copyright are protected up to a certain number of notes apparently. 

 
Yeah IDK... I suspect that exact tipping point is up to a jury and which side has the most persuasive legal team don't ya think?
 
For George Harrison, it was 3 notes.