every time i think i'm creating a song or writing a chord progression that came to my mind i end up realizing that it already exists and i was basically transcribing it. how do you deal with it? has this ever happened to you?
if it's just chords, you usually won't have to worry about it. everyone is allowed to use the same chords (and they do). if it's a melody, ........ well ............ if your melody is simple enough, it's almost guaranteed that someone has done it before, and that will be ok as long as they don't catch you making a ton of money with it. but, if you want to be sure you are doing something original, all you have to do is give it some nudges in some peculiar directions. put on a funny hat, mess it up a little. then just try and find your way back home as normal. does the trick every time