Playing The Saw

By Adele Lowen
- Talk about and discuss how long ago people did not have very much money so
they made musical instruments out of their household items.
- If you have a saw, a piece of wood, bow, and a mallot, bring them in to show
the class. If you do not have access to any, pull up images of them on the
smartboard for the students to see.
- Explain that a saw is used to cut wood when someone wants to cut down a tree
or to build something.
- Show and demonstrate how to use a saw by cutting a piece of wood.
- When music was wanted, someone took out the saw and began to play. When
someone played a saw, it was also referred to as a "singing saw". *click on the
link below to read about the history of the saw from wikipedia.
- *click on the links below for information on how to play the saw and to see
video clips of saw music.
*Try to play the saw with a mallot to create different notes or with a bow to
create different sounds.
*Discuss the musical concepts as you listen to the music:
- a saw belongs to the percussion family because it has to be hit or rubbed
to create a sound
- music may move evenly or unevenly
- music is made up of long sounds, short sounds and silences
- sounds may be high or low
- sounds are also in the middle
- a sequence of sounds may move from low to high, high to low, or stay the
same
- two or more sounds can occur simultaneously
- melodies may be accompanied by harmony
- identify the musical genre or style of the song

Curriculum Concepts:
Rhythm: 2, 3
Melody: 1, 2, 3
Harmony: 1, 2

Expression: 11, 15, 18

Listening: 5, 7, 18, 29
Playing Instruments: 1