SWATCHES
five works for three players on a shared low-A marimba
Publisher: C. Alan Publications (2025)
Composed: 2024
Duration: varies
Difficulty: Medium
currently available to commission partners only
purchase options and video coming soon!!

Swatches is a commissioned collection of five works for three players on a shared 4.3-octave marimba. Each of the five works is written at an intermediate level, utilizes two mallets per player, and is just under four minutes in length. Inspired by color, each trio is titled with a specific paint swatch color from the Benjamin Moore collection and composed to reflect that paint color name. Pieces in the collection range stylistically from the lilting “Gentle Violet” to the intensity of “Peppermint Leaf Green,” and from the lyrical “Sun Kissed Yellow” or pointillistic “Evening Blue” to the tantalizing groove of “Winter White.” Whether performed individually or as a suite, Swatches maximizes the possibilities of three players on one marimba and is sure to be engaging for performers and audiences alike.

This collection was made possible with support from the Arizona School for the Arts Percussion Studio (Liz Guzman), the Jim Royle Drum Studio, the Kansas City Youth Percussion Ensemble (Kevin Clarke), Percussion in the Valley (Meggie Aube), and a dozen backers of this project on Kickstarter.