In the 19th century, an unknown musician discovered that a steel handsaw, a tool previously used only for cutting wood, could also be used to produce full and sustained musical notes. At other times, the idea had come to a carpenter in other places.
The saw needs to be bent in a shallow S-shape. Leaving it flat or bending it in a J- or U-shape will not work. It must be bowed at the right spot along the length of the saw. The instrument is reverting to being a hand tool when Bowed at any other point.
The seated musician grips the handle of the saw between her legs, and holds the tip with either her fingers or a device called an end clamp. The saw is bent, changing the shape of the S to lower or raise the pitch, but always maintaining the S-shape, and always bowed at the moving sweet spot of the curve. The longer the saw is used, the greater the range of notes it can produce.
Dr. Mahadevan's interests are broad and he is a Harvard professor of mathematics. He has published scientific papers about things like falling playing cards, tightrope walking, coiling rope, and how wet paper Curls. The musical saw seems to be a logical next step.
Imagine an S lying on its side with a line drawn through its center, positive above the line and negative below it. The sign at the center of the S is positive.
Dr. Mahadevan said that a simple change from a J-shape to an S-shape dramatically changes the acoustic properties of the saw.
He said that the location of sign-changing gives the saw a robust ability to sustain a note. The tone is similar to a violin and other bowed instruments, and some have compared it to the voice of a Soprano singing without words.
While he set out to understand the musical saw in mathematical terms, musicians have known this for a long time, and scientists are only now beginning to understand why the saw can sing.
He thinks research into the musical saw may help scientists understand other very thin devices.
The saw is a thin sheet, and its thickness is very small compared to its other dimensions. The same phenomena can happen in a lot of different systems, and could be useful in designing high quality oscillators on small scales and even with atomically thin materials.
Natalia Paruz, a professional sawist who has played with orchestras around the world, may not be as interested in the mathematical details as she is in the quality of her saws. She began playing with her landlady's saw when it wasn't being used for other purposes. She uses saws specifically designed and manufactured to be used as musical instruments.
There are several American companies that make them. Ms. Paruz said that a thicker saw produces a better sound than a flexible saw.
She said that a thick blade is harder to bend.
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