Musical saw
A busker playing the musical saw. | |
| Other instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Classification | Idiophone |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 132.1 (Friction idiophone with individual plaque) |
| Timbre | Somewhat like the human voice |
| Related instruments | |
| Sound sample | |
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is a hand saw used as a musical instrument. Capable of continuous glissando (portamento), the sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a plaque friction idiophone with direct friction (132.1) under the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification, and as a metal sheet played by friction (151) under the revision of the Hornbostel-Sachs classification by the MIMO Consortium.