'swaying, wooden scars' is a duet for alto saxophones and was commissioned by my friend Dr. Shawna Pennock. The goal of the commission was to write piece to be played by student and teacher that introduce students to contemporary techniques. The work goes through several variations, with each variation being focused on a contemporary technique that dominates the passage. Mutliphonicss, tuplets, extreme registers, tuning, quarter tones, each variation has its own challenge. While the piece seemingly exists in a typical theme and variations format, the theme doesn't actually appear until after 3 variations. It is based on a hymn tune I wrote when I first began my journey as a composer.