this excerpt from the public television program the piano guy
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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 job of writing?
I know that people hire you to write arrangements or you are
writing for 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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