Kick in the Pants

Kick in the Pants
Written and Recorded 2009

Back to Baraboo! This song is the predecessor of many more instrumental tracks written during this time period. I think a large part of me wished that I had written this while still in school, then it could have been adapted and performed. My compositional style at the time was still very cinematic in nature. It's kind of a long piece, but I tried to keep it as interesting as possible. The title comes from the simple fact that I was trying to give myself a kick in the pants to get creative and write something.

• The chord progression in the A section is simply Dm, F, Am, outlining the notes of the Dm triad...I thought I was pretty damn clever for that one.
• The B section is almost like a chorus. It's got a more solid melodic line going on that breaks up the atmospheric and building A section. It also has a little call and response action going on.
• I like that I made each B section different in terms of instrumentation and dynamic level. You don't get to a full instrumentation till the end, which gives it a bit more weight.
• Some of the A sections go on too long, but I was trying not to be too restricted by "pop" sensibilities, i.e. 4 bars of each progression.
• The rumbling alien noise is weird. I'm not sure why I really put it in there. 
• I have always loved the sound of the lower notes on a piano when played really freaking hard. There is great power that my MIDI piano replicates pretty well. I use it the octave, bass register hits extensively in the A section.
• I wish I could have come up with another melodic idea to make push it beyond the simple ABABAB. I think it could have elevated the piece a little bit.