The sound of a saw meeting a violin bow ought to be harsh enough to make your skin crawl. But in the hands of Harrogate’s Charles Hindmarsh — the Yorkshire Saw Man — it becomes something strangely beautiful.

Charles, now 60, first picked up a saw when he was 10 years old after seeing an act on the TV show Opportunity Knocks, a precursor to Britain’s Got Talent, and thinking "I could do that". However, as you can imagine, a 10-year-old playing with a saw was cause for concern.

Charles said:

Nevertheless, Charles risked his parents' wrath and continued to secretly play with the saw, and slowly but surely began to improve.

When Charles was learning to play this little-known instrument in the 1970s, there was no information available, so the learning process was entirely by trial and error.

With his background as a violinist, Charles said that the saw bizarrely made some sense to him as the basic concept of string tension and vibration was the same.

After three years of secretive playing in the garden shed, Charles finally made his first public appearance when he saw that Wetherby Silver Band was "looking for something unusual".

Charles brought his saw and his bow along to a band rehearsal, started playing, and – thankfully – the conductor was very impressed.

This successful rehearsal led to Charles’ first concert, in which he performed Edelweiss from The Sound of Music with Wetherby Silver Band.

'Once you get known as being unusual, word seems to spread'

Gradually, Charles began to be booked to perform at weddings, celebrations and private events, which for a teenager was fantastic.

Charles said: 

Charles admits it was a slow burn, but says that with every gig his reputation grew that tiny bit more.

He said:

Yorkshire Tea, the Yorkshire Dales, now the Yorkshire Saw Man?

In 1985, Charles added another string to his bow when he went to the University of Liverpool and earned a degree in computing music.

Throughout his time in Liverpool, Charles remembers the constant teasing from his friends about his Yorkshire accent, and this continued when he went to work in London after finishing his degree.

But instead of hiding his Yorkshire accent and by extension, a big part of his identity, Charles decided to embrace it.

He said:

And so was born the Yorkshire Saw Man.

From the screen to the stage to a skip

Playing a saw undoubtedly places Charles slightly outside the musical mainstream, but he has spent the last four decades thriving in that position, from cinema screens to opera stages, from London fashion runways to the inside of an industrial skip.

Charles appeared in the 2014 film A Boy Called Bremner, featured in the BBC short A Symphony for Yorkshire. He is also saw player in the soon-to-be-released film Dance With Me. He describes both projects as being “great fun to be in”.

One of Charles’ most surreal experiences was performing at a fashion show in London. He was on stage with the models, accompanying them with the ethereal sound of his music.

He admits the reaction he gets very much depends on the setting. In traditional concert halls, audiences can arrive with raised eyebrows.

Charles said:

But scepticism rarely lasts long. Once the first note begins to sound, curiosity turns into surprise.

Audience members are often blown away by the sheer uniqueness of the performance, with one audience member from Charle's performance at the Britain Does Variety show in 2012 saying:

It is that moment of realisation Charles enjoys most, when novelty gives way to musicianship.

And then, of course, there are the skips.

Charles performed at the Skip Festival in Belfast, and the stage was exactly what the name suggests: a large metal refuse container. For Charles, it made perfect sense. The more unusual the setting, the more open the audience tends to be.

Next month, the saw will be heard in an altogether grander setting, a brand-new opera in Hull titled Children of Beverley Gate. 

See it. Say it. Saw-ted.

Even for someone as committed as Charles, there have been times when he questioned whether playing the saw was worth it.

One incident stands out: on a train returning to Leeds, a passenger mistook his saw case for a concealed gun. The carriage was evacuated, police were called, and upon arrival in Leeds he was briefly detained.

Reflecting on the situation he said:

But such moments are rare. For Charles, the saw is more than just a musical instrument. It’s a gateway to the unusual, the unexpected, the extraordinary.

It’s this element of surprise that has added colour to his life, and it is something he loves sharing with others.

Passing the bow

Charles’ performances aren’t just about entertaining — they’re about inspiring the next generation of saw players. Through workshops, children’s festivals, school visits, and online tutoring, he hopes to pass the 'bow' on to future generations.

He said:

Whether it’s a brief encounter in a skip or a grand opera stage, the Yorkshire Saw Man wants audiences to walk away with a sense of delight.

Charles is now the conductor of Summerbridge and Dacre Silver Band, and they are always on the lookout for new players… maybe even someone ‘unusual’.