bang on a saw

January 2, 2013 11:48 PM

Most musical saw players use a bow to coax melodies from their construction-tool-cum-musical instrument, but here's a fellow who taps out his saw tunes percussively.

NOTE: I've HTML'd the YouTube link to start at the musical saw segment, but in previewing this post I'm getting the clip starting at the beginning. So... dunno if that start time is gonna work or not. If it doesn't, and you don't want to wade through the Japanese introduction and cornball antics of the Yokoyama Hot Brothers, fast forward to 3:40. There'll still be cornball antics, but they're saw related cornball antics, and of course that makes all the difference. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Musical saw previously: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

posted by flapjax at midnite (14 comments total)

Aha. Once posted to Mefi, it seems that the time-specific start works. Hooray.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:58 PM on January 2, 2013

Ah, hell, next time it didn't work. This a Safari problem, I wonder? Oh well...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:00 AM on January 3, 2013

One cannot simply html yokoyama cornball antics. Training comes first.
posted by mannequito at 12:23 AM on January 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

Saw music is cutting edge. Vacuum cleaner music sucks.
posted by twoleftfeet at 1:03 AM on January 3, 2013

Although I like to hammer dulcimers.
posted by twoleftfeet at 1:47 AM on January 3, 2013

I've got a CD around here somewhere of a boogie woogie/blues piano trio -- one of the tracks on it has a hammered saw on lead. Not as cornball (and not meant to be), but both the band and audience are into it, and it's a fun listen.
posted by ardgedee at 4:34 AM on January 3, 2013

Ha! Hitting a saw goes almost full-circle and moves it closer towards a flexatone, which I suppose was invented as a riff on the saw in the first place.
posted by ob at 5:26 AM on January 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the first laugh of the day. His silly expressions, ha! Much appreciated flapjax.
posted by nickyskye at 6:19 AM on January 3, 2013

That was fantastic! The banter was great, even though I had no idea what they were saying.
posted by grog at 6:50 AM on January 3, 2013

Oh, the music was pretty good too!
posted by grog at 6:51 AM on January 3, 2013

...moves it closer towards a flex atone

Now that someone has actually uttered the word, perhaps it's time for... A FLEXATONE POST!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:12 AM on January 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

Saw music is cutting edge. Vacuum cleaner music sucks.

I thought you were going to link to a human/vacuum solo, like this.
posted by grog at 7:21 AM on January 3, 2013

thanks for this! I've got to show this to a coworker of mine who's fond of coaxing similar sounds out of an offset spatula we use to make crepes.
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 8:56 AM on January 3, 2013

If you want to skip the antics, start here.
posted by PueExMachina at 9:39 PM on January 3, 2013