Cipher

"A cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption - a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. This piece is in a compound meter called 6/8, which divides each beat or pulse into three parts, with each measure containing two beats. The "cipher" in this piece is a palindromic rhythm - a rhythm that can be played the exact same forward and backward - which is passed around the ensemble. Palindromes are also commonly found in words and literature (racecar, madam, and others) as well as in mathematics and science (for example, some DNA is palindromic). The groovy interplay of the cipher rhythm with other rhythms combines with dark and moody harmonies and continually rising melodic lines that build over and over, climbing higher each time, like attempts at trying to crack the secret encrypted code."