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I'm here with my good friend David Benoit

we're just chatting a little bit about song writing and how you personally go about the process of song writing for the

tunes that you have written and recorded. Hi Scott.

Kei's Song is a beautiful song that you have written. I love that song.

obviously pretty well-known

why don't you play a couple measures so that we will know what we're talking about here. I'd love to just chat

with you about

how you compose songs.

That really is a lovely song. thanks

Give us the backstory on that one. well it is

does have kind of a funny story actually. It was right when

my wife and I first got married. my wife is from Japan

her name is Kay spelled K E I and

I was actually writing a song an R&B song for this group which the name I can't right now recall and

I can't remember their name

The names was something like three ladies that sing

R&B . They were very big however many years ago that was probably twenty four

years ago

and i was thinking this song ...

and so I was

that is kind of similar

but I couldn't get this part ... I only had this ...

and I'm working on it and Kei walks over and says

why don't you write a song about me

Ohhhh ...

That's kind of how it worked.

well, that's official. she was a muse on that one. Yeah she really was.

we talk to a lot of people asking about writing and how you get started

we get a lot of viewers

asking questions about composing. How do you write a song?

what's the connection to the melody to the chords and all that ...

I always kind of laugh as I think there are a million different ways that people approach it. do you

you typically write something melodically first or do you do the chord changes first?

A lot of times I start with the chords first

well I a lot of times I start with the chords

especially if it is a rhythm song.

something kind of funky

like "watermelon man" which I did not write but

I'm sure that probably he came up with the rhythm lick first and then

added the melody.

well actually probably when I wrote the bridge first I think started the ...

but didn't start that way. It was again it was that kinda

How can I make that ...Then

okay if I do this ...

It just kind of evolves. i mean a lot of it is just trial and error.

back and forth and then come up with something

David how do you approach the... You do a lot of working, you know, writing.

People hire you to either write an arrangement or you are

writing for the next album things like that

do you really approach it as a gee, it is a job that I need to sit down and

and hammer away at every day or

I've heard a story about Henry Mancini who is so prolific

obviously a fantastic composer, but he had a routine

of coming in

and sitting in my office so that when his creative moment happens he would insure that he was at his piano

he had this routine of coming in and X number of hours a day and he

would spend those hours

sitting at a piano whether he was sitting there dozing off for not doing

anything eventually it would come.

How do you do it? do you

wait for it to hit you or do you really feel like you need to be spending time

seat time

I think seat time is really important I think most composers believe there is a

discipline to it

cole porter was once asked, how do you get your inspiration?

He answered, a call from a producer.

there's nothing like having a deadline and seat time

thank you! Having that deadline.

he wrote from nine to one that's a great period of time

that's my favorite writing time. in the morning

until about lunchtime

Once I have lunch and then the day is kind of gone. so that's a precious

time and

that is the time to close the door to my office

we also talked off camera

about the fact that it would only take that one song, like Moon River

that's right-think about it if that all you ever wrote in your whole career that would be

more than enough but ...

that's it. It's just discipline time. it is funny it so intriguing

sometimes when you think of the

marriage of the business end of it with the muse end of it.

where does this come from?

what what strikes you out of the blue and try to somehow ...

interesting to hear so I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on it

one more thought and that is

in fact many times

I like to take walks, and so when I'm on a walk

a lot of ideas come to me. it may not necessarily be a melody but it could be

imagining the song with strings or an orchestration

or an idea of how I can put it together with a certain group. so that

is important I think a

a balance of time just sitting at the piano but also being away from it and

letting your thoughts go free and thinking about imagining how it would sound with

the symphony orchestra or

vocals ... that's an important process too.

Can you play this now? I'd love to hear a full performance of Kei's Song

now that we know the back story. alright, okay here it is.

it's beautiful thanks. thank you appreciate it

all right this excerpt from the public television program the piano guy

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