Saw Notes
A Resource for Musical Saw Enthusiasts
Musicians & Makers
Fishtank Ensemble is an interesting group based in Los Angeles that plays a variety of styles including gypsy, flamenco, and rock and roll. Ursula Knudsen is the saw player and singer in these marvelous videos. She’s a talented saw player and her singing blends beautifully with the saw. Listen to […]
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Jake Heggie is an American composer who has written a variety of classical pieces, including operas, choral works and chamber works. His opera Moby Dick is one of my favorites. In 2017, he wrote a chamber piece called “Earthrise: December 24, 1968 for Musical Saw and String Quartet.” It’s unusual […]
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I’ve always been a big fan of Tom Waits, so it’s no surprise that I’d find one of his songs included a saw. Waits is a great singer and songwriter. He’s been recording and writing since the early 1970’s. His music is a sort of combination of jazz and blues, […]
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I haven’t been able to find out much about Killer Warren Waid, but he played the saw and the electric guitar and spent some of his time in Michigan during the 1970’s. He was a fine saw player, and he played old-timey music, accompanying dulcimer players on his electric guitar. […]
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Julian Koster is a member of Neutral Milk Hotel and is known for using the musical saw on many of their records. The band was popular in the 1980’s, and they were known for their experimental instrumental pieces. In 2008 Koster appeared on NPR and was interviewed about his playing. […]
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Charlie Blacklock spent his life promoting the musical saw. He produced musical saws, started the International Musical Saw Festival, and taught hundreds of people how to play. He passed away in 2008, but as a result of his enthusiasm for the saw, the musical saw is now as popular as […]
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