Why don't girls play electric guitar?

Morn

After reading the Joan Jett post I was driven to wonder if there is a reason for this? Girls and electric guitars are just not a common phenomenon whereas almost every boy you meet has owned one at one stage in his/her life.

Our lead singer, Kathryn, plays electric guitar and not only is she normally the only female guitarist at any showcases/competitions we're at, nine times out of ten she's the only girl present out of all the bands! How come this has emerged so? Every girl I know that does play guitar can do so as well as their male contemporaries...

Is this just random chance that things have evolved this way or is there a real cause? Are the boys mean to the girls?

The only female electric guitarist that I can think of in Ireland (apart from Kathryn of Someday ;-) is Gemma Hayes...

Anybody know any others?

Splinters

well as of last week splinters have a new female bassist so does that count?

polarbelly

dollar short

playground psychotic

Amz

The hammoc district
Mines a large one
Sweet Jehova

dera

well, theres
Nina Hynes
Catherine Dowling in Babelfish
and the woman in Ash I guess (if she doesnt have to be a lead singer too)

that's not so many though..

Tyrrial

Well no matter how many you can name, the point remains that there are to few femail guitarists. some people don't like female vocals with guitars i guess that could be a reason.

Lunar Junkie

Playground Psychotic are a great band with three female members- their site is here

startled_frog

are you talking about Irish girls or just girls in general?

Cizie

female guitarists are few but female drummers are even fewer! apart from myself, i only know one female drummer. *pfft* :P

THE JESSIES

Our drummer is female.



Jessica insane

Sat 21st

Da2

Giblet

Not to be sexist, but I find most girls who try play guitar just give up, or are bad. From my experience anyway....

polarbelly

girl drummers = seafood

and they are a ****IN great band as horsekick and panzer attack will verify

www.seafood.uk.com

again... brilliant

turn/idlewild/wilt vibe thing goin on

class


oh and beretta is a lady who plays drums

polarbelly

girl drummers = seafood

and they are a ****IN great band as horsekick and panzer attack will verify

www.seafood.uk.com

again... brilliant

turn/idlewild/wilt vibe thing goin on

class

Kopf

Originally posted by Morn
Girls and electric guitars are just not a common phenomenon whereas almost every boy you meet has owned one at one stage in his/her life.

HEH.

Raggamuffin

stevie nicks (i think)

velvet underground had a girl drummer

LA punk band X had a lead girl...

The runaways

Mybloodyvalentine (i think)

the breeders and the amps

Black flag had a girl bassist....

um...... who else..... amiee mann, fiona apple.

cat power etc. etc.

Muppet Monarchy

Originally posted by Giblet
Not to be sexist, but I find most girls who try play guitar just give up, or are bad. From my experience anyway....

I would tentatively suggest that this kind of attitude may go a way towards explaining the dearth of female guitarists/musicians in rawk. That, and the fact that it is an overwhelmingly sexist and macho industry. It's hard enough to get up there if you not only have to contend with people's seemingly genetic aversion to supporting local bands, but also their inherent sexism. I have seen this at too many gigs to mention.

knobbles

Ms "rodrigo y gabriella" would kick the ass out of most male guitarists.

but most girls have small hands and
small hands is a barrier in taking basic guitar skills up another level. In fairness artists mentioned like MBV,breeders,cat power play basic guitar.

Raggamuffin

Basic guitar?

jesus... what do you want some guy **** the guitar ike in metallica or guns and roses.

BASIC?

SMells like a teen spirit is BASIC and its still great
Where is my mind is BASIC and the song is amazing


and the comment on small hands?

if that is the case why do alot of girls play bass?

knobbles i'm sure there are lots of girls out there who are better guitarists than you'll ever be. (if in fact you play guitar, and i hope you don't with attitudes like that)

Shorty

MBV basic !?!

Yet another reason to add to the list why I hate this board!

Shorty

Oh wait, that was basic guitar play. But still, they're a great band and I've expressed my "reservations" about this board before.

Muppet Monarchy

I think everyone needs to take a deep breath before posting on this topic. Small hands. What were you thinking? I can only hope you were joking.

MBV didn't play basic guitar. Well, not basic in the 3 chords sense, anyway. You were right the first time, shorty.

Miss-Misery

The small hands thing could be an issue to people who aren't committed enough to overcome it ( e.g. me). I've known a fair few girls who've started learning to play guitar but then dropped it, this could be taking gender differences a bit too far but most guys i know, once they start on something like a musical instrument, get a lot more hooked and obsessive about it then girls. Same reason there are more male computer geeks, more competitive male sports ( why do i get the feeling i'm gonna be slapped for that one?). The girl bass players thing could in some cases be like Hilary from jj72, who was enlisted before she could play bass and they figured it was the quickest,easiest thing to learn so they'd have a hot chick in the band. Plus guys generally start wanting to learn guitar from when they're younger and by the time girls realise they'd like to, feel intimidated by how far behind they are.

Amz

Originally posted by Raggamuffin
if that is the case why do alot of girls play bass?

knobbles i'm sure there are lots of girls out there who are better guitarists than you'll ever be. (if in fact you play guitar, and i hope you don't with attitudes like that)

Darn Tootin!

lamda

Hmmm I have small hands and extremely bendy fingers and I manage ok....
But girl musicians are rarer id say because of the idea that they have more to prove. Any female musician in a band is gonna be under scrutiny cos maybe if they look good its assumed they are there for eye candy... take any guy and girl musician at the same level and you can bet that people would be waiting for the girl to slip up. Just the way o the world i spose:mad:

the66electric

Jessica Insane drummer Brita was doing the Meg White thing about three years before that talentless wankstain. She is an amazing drummer.

bandit

The only time woman should be mentioned in the same sentances as guitars is when you say that you 'double bassed' a girl last night.
APART FROM
P.J Havrey shes a woman and she plays the guitar and she sings and she causes me to do the sex wee everytime i looks at her.....

the66electric

Ah Bandit. You certainly mix it up. For the good people and those uneducated in the ways of your sexual metaphor, explain what it is to 'double bass' a young lady?

knobbles

Originally posted by Raggamuffin
Basic guitar?

jesus... what do you want some guy **** the guitar ike in metallica or guns and roses.

BASIC?

SMells like a teen spirit is BASIC and its still great
Where is my mind is BASIC and the song is amazing

...apologies,no insult was intended. You're right, music doesn't get more amazing than the genius production of simple guitar like MBV's loveless.

Originally posted by Raggamuffin

and the comment on small hands?

if that is the case why do alot of girls play bass?

knobbles i'm sure there are lots of girls out there who are better guitarists than you'll ever be. (if in fact you play guitar, and i hope you don't with attitudes like that)

very true but i don't aspire to be a great guitarist.

i obviously made a balls of my point, i was really just relating girls and lead guitar which is a rare site the last 40 years of all rock music, a possible explanation being small hands.

Reviewing the topic, i see we're not being asked about lead guitar playing like Slash but why so few girls play electric guitar at all. I'm not sure if we can convince each other on an answer for that...i can't explain that either

bandit

Originally posted by the66electric
Ah Bandit. You certainly mix it up. For the good people and those uneducated in the ways of your sexual metaphor, explain what it is to 'double bass' a young lady?

Whilst your both standing you penitrates the woman from behind and then feel around to her bare breast with one hand and her 'front bottom' with her other and it seems like your playing a double bass:p
Take no maral high ground with me mr pop your the one who told me what it meant and i saw your drunken actions last night

Pigman

..... well for one thing all that noise from strumming would interupt all the incessant nattering.

the66electric

Bandit, i take no moral high ground. How can i after a night out which included she-males, birds-eye baldness viewing, Fun snaps being pelted of a sleep hog, and an attempted 'Nudie-rape' of my sleeping self by you and yours.

I play double bass in a jazz band who perform freeform saxophone interpretations of Arnold Schwarzenegger films.

polarbelly

hem

feckin great!

no elctric guitars though

loadsa chicks

Pearl

If I could carry even one fifth of a tune on a tin whistle, I'd be in a band. But I can't, so I play other people's records on a Sunday morning on Phantom. Maybe in the next life...

o sleep

i don't understand the point about 'small hands', but then i'm not exactly the greatest guitarist of them all. but don't big clumpy hands have a similar effect (in a bad sort of way)? i've tried working out will oldham's songs from his 'ease on down the road', but he seems to be muting (or whatever the word is) strings because (and i'm guessing here) his hands are so big and fat. but i could be wrong. i have small hands too, but i'm a boy. what's up with that??

and there's lots of girl guitarists, and most of them don't play the wanky guitar solos, but that's a *good* thing, in my opinion. but, in this music business world, if you're not a particularly attractive woman, or at least a woman who appeals to a certain niche/fetish/whatever, it's going to be incredibly difficult (although exceptions do apply here). on the other hand, if you're a rather unattractive man (insert random male guitarist here), it doesn't seem to matter.

lamda

Well said o sleep! Ya hit the nail on the head there! Girls DO play electric guitar but they dont get the breaks!

Muppet Monarchy

Let's clear something up here.



THE SIZE OF YOUR HANDS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW WELL YOU CAN PLAY GUITAR


Seriously, you guys. It may become a factor when you're on grade 8 classical guitar, or playing in some whacked Jazz band where you play chords that have fingerings four frets apart, but in 99.999999999% of pop/rock music - it's just not an issue.


66electric - you and me gonna fight over Meg. I pity the fool who disses Meg White.

Graemo

There are very proficient guitarists out there who do indeed have small hands but the arguement will be laid to rest if you'd just take a close look at Jimi Hendrix' hands. Bleedin Masive they are.


As for femail drummers, anyone remember Emeline Duffy Fallon from Engine Alley?Hot bird and a sh1t hot drummer.

Muppet Monarchy

Are you trying to say he was a good guitarist because he had big hands?

Raggamuffin

what about django reinhardt

he only had 3 fingers on his right hand and used a plectrum with his right and he was fantastic, on a par with hendrix

funktastic

The hands thing would make a difference in terms of progression on a bass/guitar,yeah it won't make a difference to the people that sit around all day listining to green day and stereophonics and don't wanna progress.
But rock is male dominated and really so what?It'd be like going to see a gay male rock band ,it ain't gonna happen,I mean there are certain traditional associations with rock music.No problems with girls playing but they ain't gonna be doing lead guitar.Theres a certain anger/emotion to be expressed in rock music,I'm just talking about rock here which seems to hhave been mostly talked about, thats girls just couldn't let out without sounding like butch weightlifters.
I don't think a girl is ever gonna come along and play lead like Slash Page et al, grand sticking to a bit of strumming and some singing and maybe drums in a poncy band:cool: With drums ,I dunno, very few that are prominent, drums is even more male biased than guitar but hey theres always room in the queue of groupies:cool:

Giblet

I have yet to see a girl who can play lead guitar half as well as any guys i know, including myself

Funktastics right, Its just more 'Male' to play guitar. Most Females WILL be stuck on basics like Oasis, Greenday et al. No harm in that, and there are just as many guys stuck there aswell, but there are more guys who want to progress. I'm a pretty experienced guitar player, and If i had to guess at the reasons why there is a lack of girls playing it is because they're not good enough to be in bands. The level of guitar/bass some girls play is usually low, but the need for an experienced player in most bands today is minimal (eg:JJ72) so you might see some girls in the band, but to be honest, Hillary is eye candy and she will probably never play much beyond root notes and maybe a few fifth notes or octaves thrown in if Mark shows her. You may not like it, or even be insulted, but its true, and its not my fault

Raggamuffin

Originally posted by funktastic
I don't think a girl is ever gonna come along and play lead like Slash Page et al, grand sticking to a bit of strumming and some singing and maybe drums in a poncy band:cool: With drums ,I dunno, very few that are prominent, drums is even more male biased than guitar but hey theres always room in the queue of groupies:cool:

ok i guess this means that girls are smarter

PAge is overated, and slash is just ****.

Kim Deal rocks.... big time as does Kim Gordon and that dead bassist from hole who supposedly slept with kurt cobain.

guns and roses are just awful

Raggamuffin

and one more thing,
in myexperience girls are just as good as guys on guitar,
and i can't see the difference.

less pretencious maybe

funktastic

ok maybe down at the christian youth folk group they are just as good .Obviously you look less technically at music ,can hardly be seen as just as good though.
Jimmy Page ain't overrated either he brought about numerous progressions in recording along with guitar.Slash is a great guitar player as well asndf theres no basis for calling him'****' just 'cos you've got your Pixies/Kim Deal fixation at the moment

Amz

Well said Raggamuffin my good man/eunuch/isthataman/idunnoanymore

Giblet

Page is over rated? HOW!


And how come Slash is **** and you name no hopers like Kim Deal?

Kim Deal couldn't play guitar beyond the basic chords!

Guns n Roses were one of the best guitar bands of the eigthies early ninetys. And theres no way you can deny Slashs' ability as a Guitarist. He came up with more riffs and inspired more people to play guitar than any "chick" guitarist. I take it you're biased because you're probably a girl yes?

And you must know a HELL of a lot of shít male guitarists, because I have never seen a girl come close to most people I know, except pure beginners.
And i have seen more than a few girls play guitar.

I take it most people on this forum can't play guitar beyond the basics to be singing the praises of Kim Deal et al. And calling Slash Page fret ****. NEWS FLASH: thats how you play guitar.

Dexy

I em conquer with the point that women are as good and in some cases better than men at the old six string

Raggamuffin

excuse me
what about thurston moore form sonic youth?
Mike boon from the minutemen?
joey santiago from the pixies?
j.mascis from dinosaur jr. ?
CHarlie CHristian form the benny goodman band?

all far superior guitarists than slash.
and non wore stupid (top) hats.

Well i play guitar witha girl guitarist and she does lead guitar just as good as me?

And i think alot of people on this thread seem to be under the impression that bass is an "easier" instrument to play.

Problem with most bassists is too much SHOW less focus on timing and rhythm...

Raggamuffin

and to be honest one of the best guitar bands of the 80's and 90's was dinosaur jr. or nirvana......

better songs and better attitudes

i don't see in any way why girls could not be just as good guitarists as any guy.
and stop this crap about "basic" chords......... I mean "X" and "Black Flag" use basic chords and their songs rule big time.

and the unfortunate situation with the pixies and guns and roses is that th pixies screamed louder, wrote better songs, and did'nt wear stupid hats


Elastica? btw

Giblet

raggamuffin, tbh you still haven't explained how Slash is s**t, you just named guitarists you think are better, jesus i could name about 100 better ones off the top of my head, but that doesn't make him s**t, and tbh, Slash would rip up the floor against them guys.

You're going on opinion more than fact!

Raggamuffin

Slash is **** because he does'nt know where to place the riffs and solos?

its the amount you put into a solo and what exactly is ENOUGH.

i feel other guitarists manage to place a solo better and can create a better song because of this.