How difficult is it to construct a compelling melody out of thin air? As it turns out, it’s not so hard…if you’re Elton John.

Check out this fascinating demonstration, where a student asks Elton about his approach to melody writing and he explains how it comes naturally from playing around on the piano. He further claims that he can write a melody to go along with pretty much any text they’d like to give him. It’s a bold claim, which he then he proceeds to prove in impressive fashion. Watch the video below to see how it turns out.