Play the saw in six weeks
Examples of saw playing
You can see and hear some examples of my saw playing in the Reverb Jam on this site.
An example of saw playing that's easy to come by is in the film 'Delicatessen'. One of the central characters plays the saw beautifully on his roof. Occasionally, I've heard what I think is percussive saw playing on recordings by the chanteuse Edith Piaf.
I've heard that saw playing is still quite common in Holland, for instance in bars in Amsterdam. My grandfather Emlyn was a saw player - sadly he died many years before I was born.'m used to it, I prefer it to my original cheapies (although I do get them out now and then).
Developing your ear
Just like any violinist, you need to develop your ear to play the saw well. At first, you may find it easiest to bow the saw then swoop up or down to the note you are looking for. With practice, you'll find it easier to hit the right note directly.
Some players say you should bow the saw in a different place for each note. Others say you should always bow in the same place. I move my bow around a little - bowing further up the saw as I aim to hit higher notes. The highest notes are played just a few inches from my hand.