diff --git a/packages/mini/krill-parser.js b/packages/mini/krill-parser.js
index 1bb4c7e34..7604c53f2 100644
--- a/packages/mini/krill-parser.js
+++ b/packages/mini/krill-parser.js
@@ -846,6 +846,15 @@ function peg$parse(input, options) {
               s0 = peg$FAILED;
               if (peg$silentFails === 0) { peg$fail(peg$e16); }
             }
+            if (s0 === peg$FAILED) {
+              if (input.charCodeAt(peg$currPos) === 94) {
+                s0 = peg$c10;
+                peg$currPos++;
+              } else {
+                s0 = peg$FAILED;
+                if (peg$silentFails === 0) { peg$fail(peg$e17); }
+              }
+            }
           }
         }
       }
@@ -1110,9 +1119,9 @@ function peg$parse(input, options) {
   function peg$parseslice() {
     var s0;
 
-    s0 = peg$parsestep();
+    s0 = peg$parsememory();
     if (s0 === peg$FAILED) {
-      s0 = peg$parsememory();
+      s0 = peg$parsestep();
       if (s0 === peg$FAILED) {
         s0 = peg$parsesub_cycle();
         if (s0 === peg$FAILED) {
diff --git a/packages/mini/krill.pegjs b/packages/mini/krill.pegjs
index bd40a1a42..0da434c52 100644
--- a/packages/mini/krill.pegjs
+++ b/packages/mini/krill.pegjs
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ quote = '"' / "'"
 // ------------------ steps and cycles ---------------------------
 
 // single step definition (e.g bd)
-step_char =  [0-9a-zA-Z~] / "-" / "#" / "." / "_"
+step_char =  [0-9a-zA-Z~] / "-" / "#" / "." / "_" / "^"
 step = ws chars:step_char+ ws { return new AtomStub(chars.join("")) }
 
 memory = ws "^" h:[A-Za-z] t:[A-Za-z0-9_]+ { return new MemoryStub(h + t.join("")) }
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ slow_sequence = ws "<" ws s:sequence ws ">" ws
   { s.arguments_.alignment = 'slowcat'; return s; }
 
 // a slice is either a single step or a sub cycle
-slice = step / memory / sub_cycle / polymeter / slow_sequence
+slice = memory / step / sub_cycle / polymeter / slow_sequence
 
 // slice modifier affects the timing/size of a slice (e.g. [a b c]@3)
 // at this point, we assume we can represent them as regular sequence operators