Joe,

E, D, Bb, Eb, F and C are my favorite keys. I just like the chemistry of them. I am not so crazy about G these days but I still use it from time to time for bluegrass. But sometimes I prefer to play in a G modality on the guitar with a capo on the 1st fret to make it Ab and it sounds better to me. Have no idea why. No idea at all. But, every key to me has a different chemistry.

Of all of them I LOVE the key of Eb. It just sounds gorgeous to me and I am not sure why. But it always sounds so "silky." Maybe others know more.

For me, if a song does not come fast I usually don't mess with it. 100% of the time I find the songs I like the most are the ones that come quickly, so fast that I don't have enough time to write the lyrics I hear in my head and I have to reach for the tape player.

Usually, I hear something, will start humming, sit down at the piano, figure out the rudiments of what is going on and then take it from there.

The song totally dictates the key.