Keith: Ideas for songs come in many ways. Sometimes you consciously try to set up an idea, and sometimes it comes to you. Sometimes there's an angle or message or emotion you want to convey, other times a certain phrase comes to mind or is spoken by someone that catches you by surprise or has a certain rhythm to it.

A lot of song ideas, especially musical ideas come when I'm driving. I guess the rhythm of driving and the constant motion of things gives your mind the freedom to run and stumble. Stumbling, of course is one of the keys to creativity. If you don't run, you don't stumble. If you don't stumble, you don't come across new things, you just end up seeing what everybody else has already seen. Great scientists and artists stumble onto things.

Ideas come from personal situations, overheard conversations, books, movies, other songs. Ideas come from everywhere and everything....

RR: Describe your composing process.

Keith: Well, again this depends on what originates the idea. There are several ways. I'll try to describe most of them, in the order I've developed them. (THEN I'LL SYSTEMATIZE IT AND MAKE SOME TAPES, PUT THEM IN A BINDER AND SELL THEM ON TV!):

• I have never been much of a guitar player, so my repertoire is limited. So I'll play songs from chord books or play the 4 or so chords I do know randomly. Eventually I accidentally hit the wrong combination of chords and get a new song!!!!
• Sometimes I get a melody or a few notes of a potential song, but I don't know the chord!!!! So I have to put my finger on the fret to make the one note, then look up all the chords that incorporate that finger placement until I find the chord that matches what I'm trying to sing!!! I doubt if Paul McCartney has that problem!!
• Sometimes I'll get a line. Just one line that is catchy or special in some way. I then have to say it over and over, try singing it in different ways, until I get something that is musical and reflects the emotion or attitude or meaning correctly.
• ....I read an interview with Bob Dylan and some others who have said that there are many times when they have to work at it, like a job. I realized then that I would have to exercise my craft, like any other work or skill. So I made it a goal to write one new song every time I had to play on the worship team at our church....The exercise is not to make things automatic, the exercise is to put your mind, body and spirit in that open place, that place of listening to the still, small voice.
• When the music comes, it's time to rework the lyrics. Add things, delete things, rephrase things. Often times the music will force a rephrasing or even a change in an idea or point of view. Then you go back and see if the lyrics insist on a change in the melody or the timing of the music. If you have 352 syllables in a line, something's gotta give!!!!!

Wailua Rain Interview--continued