As the name suggests, Butterfly by Kyle H. Peters is a light and airy marimba solo meant to mimic the flight of a butterfly. Beginning in the upper register of the instrument, Peters crafts an interlocking pattern between a repeated triple lateral figure and a simple melody creating a translucent fluttering across the instrument. In the second half of the piece, the roles in each hand switch, further developing technical skill and musical ideas. The piece delicately whispers to an end to conclude the butterflies journey.
Butterfly is playable on a 4.3-octave (low A) marimbas and works well as a short feature piece for concerts, auditions, or technical study.