Steal those.
Now I say that with this disclaimer: I am not philosophically opposed to stealing for commercial gain if it somehow improves on the original and in the process creates something new and different. But putting a pedestrian lyric over the melody of “Yesterday” and calling it a new song isn’t going to impress me (and it will get you sued).
I once read an interview with Keith Richards in which he said the Rolling Stones were always just imitating Muddy Waters as best they could, but they weren’t good enough at it so it came out sounding different, i.e. as themselves. If they had been really good musicians they might have ended up playing in Holiday Inn lounges. Ray Charles started out by imitating Nat King Cole. Elvis Presley wanted to be like Dean Martin. Paul McCartney does a great Little Richard. You might define a whole new genre by not being good enough to imitate your hero."
michael anderson is an author i've been reading recently, whose 'little black book of songwriting,' is a fascinating exploration into the art of songwriting. his advice mirrors the "take your kid to work" philosophy of simply imitating those before you and repeating what works. then over time we distinguish ourselves (often on accident) from those we originally sought to become like.
i wonder what craft, hobby, or discipline you're currently interested in developing? what are the foundations, the basic recipes within your interest area that get repeated over and over again? can you steal those components to begin learning your craft? then the hard part is, will you practice at what you're doing long enough to allow yourself success (as you define it)?
last question(s): if you stay the course: who will benefit b/c of your diligence and expertise?
if you don't stay the course: who will miss out b/c of you gave up?
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