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

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

How about we go and ask women we know why they don't play guitar? I'm sure we all know at least a few women aside from our mothers we can go and ask.
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Someone mentioned, "why don't we ask some women?"

Well, I asked: "Hey, why don't you play electric guitar?"

My wife: "I don't have time"

My 23 year old stepdaughter: "because I like the sound of an acoustic guitar better"

(both are musicians)

Neither of them mentioned anything about scantily-clad chicks in guitar magazines, the "boys club", "comments about bewbs" or anything like that.
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Jessie, I answered the question, yet none of you like the answer.

Also, another factor that has been ignored in this thread is that it is a small subset of MEN who care about aftermarket pickups.

As as far as women talking about sex, one has to be incredibly naive to believe that women don't do so already. From what I've seen women talk about it more than men, yet are not as obsessed with it.

The mildly amusing side effect of this thread is that it is rooted in an underlying premise that men and women are not different.

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

I'm not convinced that your answer is the ENTIRE answer. And I don't think it makes sense for one side of a debate-style discussion to be able to declare the topic closed without something approaching consensus.

I think the mistaken assumption in talking about gender and sex differences is that they are more clear-cut, universal, deep, and pervasive than they really are.

On your relevancy point: We like guitars. We like women. (As people, friends, other, etc.) Sometimes we wonder why they don't hang out more.

I'm not saying the differences we see are due to sexism; I'm saying let's make an honest effort to find out, instead of making assumptions.
 
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Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I don't know if asking 2 women is really a good sampling, although I asked 2 female students this week about women and electric guitar. One was 18, the other in her mid 50's. Both play electric. They both hate guitar magazines, and say that they hate music forums, and hate the parade of metal doodz currently on most gear manufacturers' websites. Now this isn't really a good sampling either, but it does tell part of the story too. I also play in a band with 1 female (and sometimes more), and I will tell you that in the original music blues/jazz circuit there is still an 'old boys club' and sexism still exists. I am not saying guys and girls are the same, but art-wise, both deserve respect. I don't feel the current 'guitar culture' is very respectful to women though.
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Thanks. I'd like to hear more stories, more input, more sampling. The more the better.
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I asked, here are the responses I got:

"I tried to play. I even invested in a pretty nice starter. :| I think it just wasn't for me, but I still think about trying again. I just don't have time ~_~"
"I was never taught, nor encouraged to play, so I never got to pick up a guitar. Just bought that Rocksmith game for my Xbox one, so I'm gonna start from there"
"It made my fingers bleed. I prefer the piano, although I LOVE to hear guitar music."
"An old neighbor tried to teach me but I have short fingers n it was hard for me"
"I know a few female guitar players. Including myself. Lol"

Doesn't seem like most of these issues are related to sexism.
 
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Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Interesting, to me as a teacher, is the fact that the stories of women trying to play then giving up is also common for the guys too. I mean, most people don't stick with guitar at all. I mean, they might play a few chords now and then, but even a sampling of people on this forum would have very few who make it their profession. The guitar universe is welcoming to certain kinds of players, and many of us have an uphill battle without throwing sexism on top of it.
 
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Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I think examining topics like this, in an open and honest manner, often helps us to understand and appreciate people, instead of attributing their behavior and choices to gender, class, etc. Statistics and anecdotal evidence are both important here, as experiences are essential to true understanding.
 
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Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I don't think it is wise to declare that sexism is not an issue, based solely on benign responses that women give to the question of why they don't play.

If you asked a thief why they are a thief... they would be unlikely to refer to the complex sociological factors that are undoubtedly influential (social class, education, pay disparity, etc).

Where social factors are concetned, such as sexism, people are unlikely to be aware of the extent to which they are influenced by them.

With the example of the tech industry, it is too simplistic IMO to assume that there aren't more women in the industry just because 'they choose not to be'. The follow up question should surely be "but WHY don't they want to be?".
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

In my experience, differences inherent to the gender (flame suit on).

When I have taught younger people, all maintain a similar attitude to commitment after about 3-4 months. If they don't drop out in week one or two, they're there for a while.

Now when it gets difficult, I've noticed that girls more than boys who start reaching a point where they need to learn more theory or need to work on building speed or timing tend to drop off more and more. It's nothing to do with intelligence, it just seems to be a trend that when you need to knuckle down and learn things like how to apply modes or key signatures that girls tend to lose interest. Not that no males ever do, but the numbers they drop off at tend to be lower.

I know a couple of other people who teach, one a really good classical teacher who teaches me. She seems to have drastically similar results.

But compare this to other instruments such as violin and particularly flute, boys drop off far quicker than girls. It seems odd that nobody is asking how can we get more male flutists or why can't we diversify the cello?

I for one really do not get this whole "we need to be more diverse" rhetoric. My day job is in development and I constantly have to sit through sermons about how we need to get more women into programming and IT. My honest opinion is that the 15 years I've spent in the industry working my ass off to get to where I am, I never once heard a disparaging comment against women. The fact is, if they wanted to do it, they could! They just don't! And the ones that do want to, do so! Trying to make an industry or past-time which in its nature just isn't appealing to women appear like something it isn't is perverse.

Put it another way. If you told your other half (presuming you're male) that you're going to watch a movie together, do you think she would be more interested in watching The Terminator or Bridget Jones' Diary!?
 
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Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I don't know your thread made me find this

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

Little Pigbacon said:
I'm not convinced that your answer is the ENTIRE answer. And I don't think it makes sense for one side of a debate-style discussion to be able to declare the topic closed without something approaching consensus.

I think the mistaken assumption in talking about gender and sex differences is that they are more clear-cut, universal, deep, and pervasive than they really are.

On your relevancy point: We like guitars. We like women. (As people, friends, other, etc.) Sometimes we wonder why they don't hang out more.

I'm not saying the differences we see are due to sexism; I'm saying let's make an honest effort to find out, instead of making assumptions.
Click to expand...
I concur. I am not suggesting in any way whatsoever that just because someone is female that they cannot do something. I am asserting that some of the disparity is clearly due to gender differences.

Vive la difference!


Thank God women are different from men. There are common gender traits that are mostly intolerable on both sides. The differences make such things more acceptable.

It is absurd to assume that we are equal. Each have inherent strengths that are prevalent enough to establish clear patterns.

I'll stop there. Otherwise it ventures into sociopolitical issues.
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Evan Skopp said:
Though this is slightly off topic, let me turn your question back towards you and the rest of the forum: is there any woman out there, who, if her name was on an SD product, would make you more likely to purchase it?
Click to expand...

Evan - sorry for coming back late on this one, I was pretty busy lately but this is a great question and I love the efforts SD is making.

Maybe signature pedals are actually a better place to start? less demanding than installing pickups... for any pickup or pedal my first choices would probably be Joan Jett, Allison Robertson and Joanne Shaw Taylor.

Come to think of it - a Joni Mitchell acoustic pickup would probably sell well...
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I would buy a Lita ford model pickup. That chick can rock for real.
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

Guitar modification and changing pickups come under tinkering. This tends to be a male pursuit.
 
Re: Why Aren't there More Female Guitar Players, Especially Electric?

I also think this is a bit of a sociological question, and as someone who works in the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at Berklee College of Music, the answer to this question is complex and goes far beyond "it's about interests". There are many factors to take into consideration on this topic. The fact that someone offered a strong and critical perspective on the topic and that it seemed to anger another person towards the point of calling out that person as being off topic or out of line is an example of patriarchy not wanting to be challeneged.
 
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