Sometimes you can come up with sketches for music which interest you but take a long time to finalise. Sometimes you can write an entire piece in half an hour. "Surge" was one of these pieces. I had been writing a lot of delicate and intimate music at the start of last year and needed to let out some energy.
I had collected together most of the tracks I wanted to use on the album but I felt that the album lacked some punch I needed a lift. I used this approach on both of my other albums where I added "Synergy", "Let It Take you", "Life Changes Key" and "Life's Kaleidoscope" to the mix. "Surge" was the last addition to the album.
I was jamming away on some chords to create 90's dance piano vibe and wondered whether I could work them into a more classical style. I decided to think of the tune as a heartbeat monitor that gets a power surge and becomes more rhythmic and dance like as it progressed. I would then hit a climatic point and fade the music back to the original heartbeat monitor.
The heartbeat part was easy enough to approach as I used the same chord progression in the bass that I used for the 90's dance section. Gradually adding in extra notes and rhythms I worked the melody down the keyboard to the same note range as the dance section. The problem was I couldn't figure out how to attach the sections.
I left the idea there whilst I played a couple of other pieces and whilst rolling my hands over some arpeggios I stumbled upon the hook. Using a simple 4 note melody with a changing end note played with my hands crossed, I was able to bring in the rhythmic jamming in the right hand to hint at what I was planning.
This new section was in the key of F minor which then evolved into the dance break. When the music exited the dance break I used the same hook in A flat major to give the tune one last lift before bringing it crashing back towards the original pulse.
Just a side note to anyone reading who it may help. If you are composing, improvising or arranging, I've found a good way to introduce new ideas or move into to different sections is to blend the old motif or bassline into the new one half way through a phrase. (Hmm, maybe I could do a blog series on composing ideas if the interest is there!)
I didn't really have a particular inspiration for "Surge". Although I'm not a massive 90's dance fan, I do like the rhythmic feel created with the back and forth chords. I really liked experimenting with the ideas in "Surge". I feel that it will always be a bit of a marmite piece. You'll either love it or hate it! I have found though that when I've let people listen to the album, the listener will either choose a relaxed piece or they choose "Surge". Whichever way, when the break kicks in I always get a reaction from people, usually a smile or a laugh as they weren't expecting the music to make that jump.
This year, of all my pieces that I've played, "Surge" must have been the one I played the most. It's so fun to play and a really lets me let off steam and slam around on the keys. It's also the piece that I seem to be able to play near perfectly each time I sit down to play which surprises me due to the crossing hands and speed. It still makes me smile when I get to the drop!
Thanks for reading and have a great day.