Saw Notes
A Resource for Musical Saw Enthusiasts
History
Marlene Dietrich was a Hollywood icon known for her beauty, unusual voice, and captivating performances. However, many fans of the German actress and singer may be surprised to learn that she was also an accomplished musician, with a talent for the musical saw. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, […]
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The North Carolina Jazz Band, otherwise known as The Original Hillbillies, starred in this Vitaphone short, which came out in March of 1929. They perform several songs including “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” “By the Old Oaken Bucket,” and “Wasn’t She a Dandy?” The saw is at the beginning […]
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One of the earliest recordings of the musical saw is a Victor recording of Ford Hanford playing “My Old Kentucky Home,” recorded May 2, 1921. This recording includes the musical saw with an orchestra. Mr. Hanford plays first with a hammer and then switches to a violin bow. Listen and […]
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It’s not every day that you see the musical saw used to woo a person, but in this scene from Steamboat Round the Bend (1937), we see John McGuire playing the musical saw for his sweetheart Anne Shirley. McGuire was an actor for over two decades, and you might recognize […]
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Gene Rodemich was a fine orchestra leader and piano player who worked in the 20s and 30s. His band included many great musicians of the time, and he became well-known for his involvement in early animation. He provided the music for over 100 cartoons. Here is a marvelous recording by […]
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Many have speculated about the origins of the musical saw. The Hyde Park Herald, August 27, 1926 included this article explaining how it all happened: “First ‘Musical Saw’” “The idea of extracting music from such an unlikely medium as an ordinary steel saw is said to have originated more than […]
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