Angle brackets make a pattern bigger than its bar: <a b> plays a on the first cycle, b on the next. One line of code, a phrase that evolves.
!"c3 <eb3 f3> g3" is three steps per cycle — but the middle step alternates, so the loop only repeats every TWO cycles.
Alternations multiply: a <a b> next to a <x y z> makes a six-cycle phrase. This is how a two-bar, four-bar, twelve-bar form comes out of one short string.
*2 is the opposite move inside a single step: g3*2 plays that step twice as fast — a quick double where one note stood.
The timeline above the editor shows the pattern's true length — watch it stretch as you add alternations.
The starting point#
The lesson opens with this song in the editor. Every edit recompiles and plays.
-- Alternation: this arp repeats identically every cycle. Let it evolve.
pluck = patch {
source = saw (freq pitch),
ampEnv = adsr 2ms 140ms 0 120ms,
cutoff = 1400Hz,
gain = vel * 0.5
}
arpLine = play pluck !"c3 eb3 g3 eb3"What to watch#
Let it run past the end of the bar: the waveform's shape changes on the second cycle and changes back on the third. The pattern is longer than the loop.
Goals#
The workbench checks these as you work; the solution is there when you want it.
- Alternate a step with < >
- Make the phrase span two or more cycles
- Stretch: double-time one step with *2
Make it yours#
Write a melody whose last step alternates between three different endings — a 3-cycle question-answer-answer form.
Further reading#
Patterns: events over time in the reference.