When I took up playing the musical saw I was looked down upon by other saw players – all men. Traditionally it was men who played the saw – they were the ones with tool boxes and they had the strong hand required to bend the blade.
Today I run the annual NYC Musical Saw Festival (MusicalSawFestival.org) and after having performed at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Gardens and Lincoln Center as well as on many movie soundtracks, nobody thinks saw playing is not for women. I am happy to say that more and more women are taking up the musical saw today and the art form has become popular with both genders equally.
This is a video of a recent performance of mine on WNYC Radio:
In addition, I was always fascinated by performances in public spaces, but most buskers (street performers) are men. I have been playing in the NYC subway for 17 years and I am happy to say that as a judge at the Music Under New York auditions (auditions for musicians who wish to perform in the subway with a permit) I see more and more women bringing their music to the streets.
I keep an account of what happens when I play in the subway on my blog SubwayMusicBlog.com
This is a video of me playing in the subway:
I believe that the crown and glory of life is character, and cheerful persistence pays off.
Find me at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Natalia-Saw-Lady-Paruz-musical-saw-player/129253832734
6 comments
Saw Lady
My CD is out! Finally…it only took me 8 years to work on it…!
You can take a listen here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nataliaparuz1
I hope you like it.
The track with saw and soprano singer is number 13.
gretchen
What a great idea – please let us know when your new CD is out. :)
Saw Lady
@Kel1 – thank you! And, yes, isn’t it amazing that a piece of metal could sound so much like a human voice…
I am now working on a new CD and in it I have a track of a duet I do with an opera singer (singing without words, just like “ahhhh”). I recorded this track specifically to show the similarity of the sounds.
Saw Lady
Thank you very much for your kind words, Gretchen!
One can play in the subway without a permit, but having a permit sure makes life easier…
Kel1
Wow, beautiful. The sound of the saw reminds me of an opera singer’s voice. What a unique talent! :)
gretchen
Natalia – your music is captivating! What an amazing artform and yet you make it look so easy. As a musician, I know that takes a lot of skill and a very fine tuned set of ears.
I also checked out SubwayMusicBlog.com – what a great idea! I don’t live anywhere near a big city, but I love to watch those videos. It’s cool to see the reactions of different people and I’m impressed with all of the performers. I didn’t know you had to have a permit to play in the subway, let alone audition.
Thank you for sharing your music with us. And yes, I absolutely agree that “cheerful persistence pays off”!