Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

[GilmourD]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Female guitar players?

Who cares.

I'm talkin' 'bout female keytar players. What happened?

Ironically, did you see the post above about my band in which I posted a clip?

[ginormous]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

The first step to growing anything musically in schools is to KILL the already existing music programs.

For those just tuning in, Ace was being somewhat ironic; also, he was suggesting perhaps a more "School Of Rock"® approach.

In the Jack Black movie of that name, there was equal participation for children of both genders, not just the stereotypical "background singer chick with the tambourine".

As many of the educational professionals who are members here will attest, that kind of program isn't easy to implement or maintain.
There's still a firmly entrenched traditionalist attitude.
So far, the most adventuresome school music programs have been a "Glee"® -type program, or the "stage band/pep squad band" that plays "Pink Panther" or "Mission Impossible"... sadly out of tune.

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Perhaps it would behoove us to learn a bit more about GAMA. Yes, it's true that GAMA is a trade association made up of manufacturers and distributors of guitars and guitar accessories. And yes, we all want our companies to be successful in the marketplace. And yes, as individual participants in this organization, we generally all want gainful employment in an industry that, for most of us, is closely aligned with our love of music in general and guitar specifically.

GAMA's main activity is to support music education; specifically getting guitar integrated into school music programs. We are part of a task force that also includes NAMM and the association of school music teachers. Our main initiative is to train school music teachers--band, orchestra, choir and general music--to start guitar programs in schools. We also support another program called Guitars in the Classroom that uses guitar to teach general curriculum.

We know that kids who study and play music do better in school and in life. This is well documented. We believe that by getting kids exposed to playing guitar at a young age, specifically while in school, we can create lifelong guitar players who will have a fun hobby and outlet for creative expression and collaboration--and for a few, a rewarding vocation (and yes, create more guitar product consumers). I'm very proud of my involvement with GAMA, which goes back well over 20 years.

At our general membership meeting last month, we had a panel discussion with heavy hitter GAMA members like Bob Taylor, Jim D'Addario and others, to discuss various topics about growing the guitar market--which is suffering at the moment. And it didn't take long to come to the subject of why there aren't more females. In that meeting, just like in this thread, there were lots of ideas tossed back and forth, and spirited discussion.

So yes, while GAMA is a trade association dedicated to bringing together and growing the guitar community by promoting greater access to learning and playing guitar, I don't think that makes our focus on creating more female players any less genuine.

My decision to post this thread in a public forum was deliberate. This is an important topic and I wanted it to be visible beyond SDUGF members to the public in general, and also to GAMA members who will be reading this thread next week when it will be promoted in the GAMA newsletter.

I want to close by saying this is really a fantastic discussion and I want to thank everyone who has participated in this thread so far. I know we've had our issues on this forum in the last year, but the fact that we can all come together for impassioned, yet 100% respectful discourse on an important topic like this, gives me hope that this forum will continue for a long, long time.

I can respect the efforts to get public schools interested in electric guitar, and by extension SD pickups, but, IMO, any musical instrument and related accessory is first and foremost for the benefit of the artist who uses it, and, again, IMO, the profitability is secondary. Art of any kind should be promoted for the sake of the Art itself, with money merely the cherry on top. Sadly, we don't yet live in a society where Art and Artists are respected beyond the thought of how much money someone else can make from either of them.

We do not need a guitar in every house. We need Artists to make Art. If that means the industry shrinks, then it shrinks. If record labels collapse, or guitar companies disappear, or accessory makers vanish, so be it. Nothing lasts forever, everyone needs a backup plan. SD pickups and products would surely be missed, but everything must return to its foundation at some point so the basic premise can regain the focus.

Efforts to get any demographic involved in any arena that is considered lacking in adequate representation by that demographic always lead to special treatment for said demographic, which typically dilutes the quality of content in that arena for the sake of boosting numbers. "There aren't enough xxx doing yyy, so let's target them directly". Art is cyclical, and downturns are what separates the Artists from the hacks. Hacks are blown about by the wind, but Artists cannot stop being Artists because the Muse will not allow it. Some shmuck who got into it to be cool or get laid or get high or otherwise on a childish whim will be weeded out and sent home where they belong, leaving those who are called and driven by the Muse to make Art. Those who appreciate Art are not forced to wade through a sea of craptastic noise to find the Art they're looking for, and Artists are not wading through a sea of simple-minded chimps to find an audience.

We have no shortage of a female guitar player singing yet another sad tale of her failure to find "Mr Right" or whatever she thinks will make her happy. We have no shortage of sappy ballads from guys, either. We have no shortage of wankers and wailers and shredders and groovers and killers and filler. We have a shortage of QUALITY Art that needs to be addressed, and gender of the participants has nothing to do with it.

[LesStrat]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Why aren't there more female trombonists?

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

For those just tuning in, Ace was being somewhat ironic; also, he was suggesting perhaps a more "School Of Rock"® approach.

In the Jack Black movie of that name, there was equal participation for children of both genders, not just the stereotypical "background singer chick with the tambourine".

As many of the educational professionals who are members here will attest, that kind of program isn't easy to implement or maintain.
There's still a firmly entrenched traditionalist attitude.
So far, the most adventuresome school music programs have been a "Glee"® -type program, or the "stage band/pep squad band" that plays "Pink Panther" or "Mission Impossible"... sadly out of tune.

One thing I do pay close attention to is the bands that play in College football games. Typically, the winning team's band sounds much better, even when the score is tied and both teams have equal chance to win. If a child is tone deaf, they do not need to be in a performing band. If the instructor cannot keep the band in tune, the instructor is at fault.

I do agree with Ace that Classical/Jazz instruments should not be forced on a child by anyone. If they pick it up on their own, they pick it up. Pay for private instruction if your public school doesn't have a program. However, that also applies to electric guitar.

I'd love to see a ranked College or even my local high schools hit the football stadium with 2 guitars, bass, and drums and bash out hard rock versions of Sousa marches.

[Snake Aces]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

One thing I do pay close attention to is the bands that play in College football games. Typically, the winning team's band sounds much better, even when the score is tied and both teams have equal chance to win. If a child is tone deaf, they do not need to be in a performing band. If the instructor cannot keep the band in tune, the instructor is at fault.

I do agree with Ace that Classical/Jazz instruments should not be forced on a child by anyone. If they pick it up on their own, they pick it up. Pay for private instruction if your public school doesn't have a program. However, that also applies to electric guitar.

I'd love to see a ranked College or even my local high schools hit the football stadium with 2 guitars, bass, and drums and bash out hard rock versions of Sousa marches.

When I was playing high school football I would have loved hearing a live band bang out some RATM, Zeppelin, or Black Sabbath etc. to get pumped up personally.

[blueman335]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

When I was playing high school football I would have loved hearing a live band bang out some RATM, Zeppelin, or Black Sabbath etc. to get pumped up personally.

What, on a tuba?

[Snake Aces]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

What, on a tuba?

Of course not on a tuba. My bad, I should have specified I would have liked a band with guitars, bass and drums.

[DarkMatter]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Now that I think about it, my high school music theory class had more females than males. This was over 15 years ago.

[DreX]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

According to this http://www.psmag.com/books-and-cultu...nder-gap-94867 there are more female participants in high school bands than male, and I think that goes back to pressure being placed on women to be respectable in the eyes of others, that "playing in an orchestra" might not be the goal so much as "being someone who plays in an orchestra".

To that end, there's virtually no overlap between playing in a high school band, and playing in a rock band, because the motivations and maybe even the life goals of the two crowds are different. In fact, I remember the "guitar club" not having a single student who was also in the marching, symphonic or jazz band (except me, and I *really* didn't fit in with the jazz band). The male:female ratio in the guitar club was about one girl for every two guys.

[blueman335]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

So, did anybody here in this thread actually start playing guitar to meet girls or are we mostly busting this as myth?

Kind of lame to have that as your sole motivation for playing an instrument. You could probably do better with a good acne cream.

[DreX]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I think some rock stars admitted they only got in a band to meet chicks, especially the lead singer types who don't really care about the guitar itself all that much, and judging from the levity of a lot of garage bands, and even signed bands out there, I could believe it was a primary motive. I'm also willing to bet such guitarists don't care much about the pickups in their guitar and, are probably unlikely to frequent a forum such as this one.

[ginormous]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

DreX, do you have any examples of these "only in it for the booty" rock stars, and how does this tie in with the original topic?

[GilmourD]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Kind of lame to have that as your sole motivation for playing an instrument. You could probably do better with a good acne cream.

Agreed, but some people parroting that line as if it's gospel.

[DreX]

Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

DreX, do you have any examples of these "only in it for the booty" rock stars,

"Sir Paul: ... The whole thing about getting into a band was to get girls, basically. Money and girls. Probably girls first. "

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/oct/14/popandrock5

and how does this tie in with the original topic?

Side topic:

So, did anybody here in this thread actually start playing guitar to meet girls or are we mostly busting this as myth?