Question
A drum machine stores a pattern as a non-empty string of digits, one digit per pad hit. When two identical digits sit next to each other, a performer may either play them as two separate hits or merge them into a single roll. Different digits can never merge, and a roll always covers exactly two characters. Return the number of distinct ways to perform the whole pattern. For example, "112" can be played as 1|1|2 or as 11|2, so the answer is 2.
count_drum_plays(pattern: str) → int["112"]out2["1111"]out5State your approach and its time/space complexity out loud before you optimize. Handle the edge cases (empty input, duplicates, overflow), and say why you chose this over the brute force. Green tests are the floor, not the grade.
Vibe coding: describe the solution in plain language (or narrate it) and the coach grades your approach. Generating runnable code from your description is coming next.