3 Best Musical Saws

That’s right, a musical saw! If you were unaware that a saw could be  a musical instrument, please read this page to be introduced to it.

The musical saw is played by bending the saw in an S shape, and then using violin or cello bow to vibrate the saw, thus producing sound.

A normal cutting saw can also be used as an instrument, but there are specially designed saws that are ideal for music making (and not getting hurt!)

Click here to read an article about the musical saw!

The musical saw produces a beautiful, and somewhat haunting sound that sounds like a mixture of the human voice and a violin. The instrument is capable of vibrato, dynamics, and musical phrasing.

Watch this video to see a performance of the musical saw:

In a episode of the famous TV Show, Britain’s Got Talent, one contestant played the musical saw for the judges. He hoped to show the world that the musical saw could in fact be a proper musical instrument.

Click on this article to read about this.

Here is a video of the performance on Britain’s Got Talent:

Notice how even the audience laughs when Austin mentions that he is serious about playing on the saw.

Simon Cowell makes fun of the tone of the instrument. I personally believe this may be due to the poor performance given. In the first video with the Saint Saens Cantabile, the tone is much better than that played by Austin. If Simon heard the recording of the Saint Saens with the musical saw, he may think differently of this instrument.

The musical saw is truly a fine musical instrument, and can be easily learned. Some users say it takes about a week of hard work to start producing a nice sound on the instrument.

Click on this link to go to a website that is dedicated to teaching the musical saw for free.

The musical saws that are commercially available are quite inexpensive. Musical saws such as in the above videos are custom built.

BAHCO 296 Stradivarius Musical Saw

This 30 inch saw blade made by Stradivarius is specially designed for music making.

This saw has teeth, but they are unsharpened.

Users of this instrument praise the range and the sustain that this quality instrument has.

Weighing less than 3 pounds, this saw is also very portable and easy to carry.

Beginning users reported that they were able to play up to three octaves on this instrument.

Don’t forget to buy a violin/cello bow and rosin for this instrument as well!

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Roberts & Lee Parkstone 26″ Alto Musical Saw

This musical saw can play about 2 -2 and a half octaves. The range is from the A below middle C to two octaves up.

Included is a playing kit and manuel that gives tips on how to play the instrument.

Click here for reviews and pricing on Amazon.com!

Great Neck N2610 26-Inch Hand Saw-Wood Handle and Chrome Nickel Steel Blade

This saw is excellent for those who are beginning and are not looking just yet for a quality instrument.

This saw is also used for cutting, so make sure to sand paper the rough and sharp edges before playing.

Users of this saw praise this for its beautiful singing tone.

Click here for pricing and reviews on Amazon.com!