for this battle: battleofthebits.org/arena/Battle/6085/Vomitorium/Spring+Tracks+X

botb track comments:
this tune is based on powers of three
I have been trying to figure out what is spring-y about this concept and the conclusion I came to is:
triangles are unnatural shapes and, in my experience, the exploding new natural life of springtime poses a challenge to their integrity
maybe you too have fought desperately to save a triangle or two in late april...

dubious poetry I wrote in the module comments:
triangles are supposed to be the most stable shapes
but springtime, in its uncaring, all-encompassing overgrowth,
has no knowledge of the laws of artifice
and sprouts out of the thawing cracks in this side
and bakes that side brittle with hot sunlight
and pulls the other apart with pollen-laden winds
leaving none in any shape to be leaned on by its neighbors


this track is probably the coolest thing I ever made with pxtone. although I'm pretty sure it's still not done! I intend to extend some sections so the pace is a little more measured and re-release it on "JAXTONE II" eventually...
as it says in the botb comments, at the center of this tune is "powers of three". the opening 9-note arpeggio repeats three times on each harmony, the harmonies are grouped into three-chord phrases, and the full progression comprises three of these phrases. 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x... I think there's a 4 at the highest level, whoopsie. it will probably be 6 in the final version, which is a little better
although I made it fit the battle theme in the end, I had this concept in my head for a long time before I took the opportunity to write/submit it for this competition. in addition to the mathy-musicy part it was also kinda a reflection on several groups of three people I have belonged to--experiences that have been consistently been intense and emotional

a few musical tendencies have reached their peak/passed the threshold of absurdity in this tune: my love of square wave; writing out unique bass and drum parts for every phrase; making solos take up more of the tune than anything else; purdie shuffle craziness; etc.
in the middle section, the 9-note arpeggio modulates into an 8-note arpeggio, changing the groove. this was a pain to do in the software. it doesn't symbolize anything in particular, I just thought it sounded cool