Pharrell and Thicke Vs Marvin Gaye

By now you've probably heard the news about Robin Thicke's huge 2013 single "Blurred Lines" being the subject of a copyright lawsuit.

Thicke and his co-writer Pharrell Williams have lost the court case and are now required to hand US$7.3 Million to the family-run estate of Marvin Gaye, for ripping off Marvin's 70s hit "Got to Give It Up".

This case, in my view establishes a dangerous precedent. This wasn't a clean-cut case of outright stealing, as in, say the George Harrison "My Sweet Lord" case. This one was decided by a grand jury from the sheet music to one of the songs and a recording of the other. Without the aid of a blind listening test of the two recordings, that would have made things difficult. From that aspect alone, the jury's decision was a curious one.

I've taken a listen to both songs back to back. In my view, "Blurred Lines" is awfully derivative of the Marvin Gaye track, but while it cops the feel and part of the percussion style, it hardly steels any of the major aspects of the original. Besides, if you could copyright a rhythm and successfully defend it in a court of law, Bo Diddley would be a billionaire.

My question is, how can a piece that was clearly inspired by the original be pinged for plagiarism? This means that pretty soon Prince and/or Cameo should be suing Mark Ronson for "Uptown Funk".

According to this piece in the LA Weekly, the jury probably took a dislike to Robin Thicke which, in their estimation, is not a difficult thing to do. His defense seems to be that "although I received a writing credit, I didn't actually contribute to the writing of the song." Well, Mr Thicke, your name is on the official ASCAP document stating you as the writer, therefore you probably received royalties therefore you are also implicated in this. Suck it up, pal.

I always thought "Blurred Lines" was a horrible song anyway. However, all that aside, this could set up a precedent for a whole host of frivolous and ambiguous copyright lawsuits, based purely on one song bearing a passing similarity to another. Maybe Nirvana will actually get sued for borrowing the rhythm guitar pattern (not the chord sequence) from "More Than A Feeling" by Boston in their song "Smells Like Teen Spirit"...

If nothing else, this particular verdict will probably be appealed for years to come, so I doubt this is the end of it.

Take a listen to this mashup of the Marvin Gaye and Robin Thicke tunes here:

Robin Thicke feat Marvin Gaye - Got to give up the blurred lines # DJJW from DJJW on Vimeo.

The Ngoni

Unusual and exotic stringed instruments just absolutely fascinate me. Being a guitarist, I'm endlessly fascinated how stringed instruments can be built differently, can sound differently and can be played in different styles. I discovered this one, the Ngoni, through the latest album by Malian musician Bassekou Kouyate and his band Ngoni Ba. The album is called "Jama Ko" and it is an amazing piece of music, not least for the way Bassekou incorporates western playing techniques and signal processing on his instrument.



According to Wikipedia, the Ngoni is thought to be an ancient ancestor to the Banjo once the African slave trade began. It is an interestingly built instrument, built similarly to a guitar or a banjo, however the body is made from the shell of the fruit of a calabash plant, or from wood and is covered in dried goat skin. It has a long fretless fingerboard and can contain anywhere from 6 to 12 strings. It is commonly found in West African countries such as Ghana and Mali.

When electricified, it has an unusual timbre. Twangy, yet somewhat deeper, but not unlike an Asian instrument such as a koto. Being fretless, it can produce unusually pitched notes and some unusual sounding bends when the strings are struck and pushed up against the fretboard. With the strings being lower to the body, the speed at which a virtuoso can play these instruments is lightning fast and it is fascinating to listen to. Couple that with solid and eminently danceable rhythmic backdrop, and you have some seriously fun music.

Below is an amateur film clip of Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba filmed at this years WOMADelaide festival. The first half of this is two Ngoni players trading solos before they go into some synchronised moves that put Status Quo to shame. The rhythm is insistent, so if you feel compelled to dance (how could one not?) go right ahead. Around 1:19, Bassekou filters his Ngoni through a cry-baby wah wah pedal.

It's joyous and fun music, and it looks like both band and audience during this set had a ball.

Enjoy!