SPIDERWAVE - Marimba Quartet (two 4.3 octave marimbas) by Sebastian Zhang

SPIDERWAVE is an intermediate marimba quartet for two shared 4.3 octave marimbas.

Sheet music available here: https://sebastianzhang.com/works/spid...

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I found a spider the other day outside.
For some reason, I decided to wave at the spider.

It waved back.

Intrigued, I took a picture of the spider and ran it through iNaturalist, a citizen science platform that allows non-scientist people (like me!) to record scientifically useful data about wildlife. It can identify organisms using a picture.

It told me it was a jumping spider.

I thought that was funny. I figured it was wrong.
The spider proceeded to jump three feet in the air onto me.

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I have made quite a few friends while in college. They're pretty cool people.

They embrace my absurd stories about jumping spiders, and other eccentricities.
They also embrace my music, in a wonderfully similar way.

When I had first started asking my friends to premiere my music, I didn't expect to see every single one of their faces light up with immediate excitement. Some even offered to play it, without me asking.

I recognize how fortunate I am to have friends who jump at the offer to play my music.
I appreciate you all. The excitement in this piece reflects that.

This piece was written for you. Thank you.

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Musically, SPIDERWAVE draws upon synthwave and the modern chiptune scene.

Sometimes when I write music, I involuntarily see imagery in my mind’s eye. This piece and its imagery strongly remind me of 1980s outrun aesthetics.

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SPIDERWAVE was written for Rubén Acuña González, Ethan Hall and Margo Parker as part of the Austin Percussion Collective, and premiered on June 5th, 2024 at Studio A in Austin, TX.

This recording is from the University of Texas Percussion Ensemble: Music By Us 2 concert on May 8th, 2025 and was performed by Randy Griner, Khaden Joyner, Spencer Frismanis, and Aaryn Avila.