Lady Guitarists

Bridgehouse

ourmaninthenorth said:

Bridgehouse said:

ourmaninthenorth said:

Which is rather fortuitous....I'm much better with my guitar than my dick...allegedly..

At what?????

Slinging it over me shoulder...

I think we can all safely say that applies to all guitarists. ('Cept for me, of course )

ICBM

Jennifer Batten. That is all.

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

Jennifer Batten. That is all.

That was very cool. Thanks for sharing  

FreddieVanHalen

Please don't let anyone's prejudice stop you from playing guitar.

If a woman plays a piano or a violin or a cello that's all seen as perfectly normal, so what is the difference? The guitar is just another instrument.

I actually had a female guitar teacher for a while and I would still be working with her if I had the time to do her lessons justice.

Sheryl Bailey

She kicked my ass! In a supportive but uncompromising kind of a way :-)

Rabs

cruxiform

Or Jess Lewis...

Bridgehouse

There you go @Blackjack - I think you can safely conclude that we are all 100% supportive.

Ignore this silly girl/boy business and jump straight in here - we are a (mostly) harmless bunch. 

Just don't mention Brexit, Planes on conveyor belts, or @HarrySeven 's guitar collection and you'll be fine...

chromatuna

Ignore whichever cavemen you have encountered and do it! Have fun. Oh and maybe check out Susan Tedeschi's playing too

Rowby1

Sister Rosetta Tharp knew a thing or two about guitar playing. 

Cant imagine many people would have had the nerve to tell her she shouldn't be bothering doing that.

MagicPigDetective

This: 

https://www.facebook.com/dusttodigital/videos/10154732874135821/

mike_l

Go show a LP up that salesmans nose.....

Have a google of The Iron Maidens, Courtney Cox, Nikki Stringfield, and Nita Strauss (now with Alice Cooper)are all fearsomely good guitarists.
Also worth having a look at
Orianthi
Nilli Brosh
Jen Magura (currently in Evanescense)

Blackjack

Wow guys!!!!! 
Thank you so much for so many fabulous and encouraging replies! You are an amazing bunch you really are. 
The fact that I have boobs instead of balls had never crossed my mind as being relevant really. It's not as if guitar playing requires huge physical strength or anything! 
I will just write him off as being a bit of a prat that had probably argued with his wife this morning! 
I will carry on enjoying my playing and making plans for my first open mic this year and ignore the idiot and his comments!

ICBM

Also, 'Carter Picking', which is a part of the technique of most modern acoustic guitar players, is named after 'Mother' Maybelle Carter of The Carter Family… although she didn't actually invent it, she did popularise it. Given the later development of country and folk/rock guitar styles which use it at least in part, she must be one of the most influential guitarists.

Bridgehouse

Blackjack said:

Wow guys!!!!! 
Thank you so much for so many fabulous and encouraging replies! You are an amazing bunch you really are. 
The fact that I have boobs instead of balls had never crossed my mind as being relevant really. It's not as if guitar playing requires huge physical strength or anything! 
I will just write him off as being a bit of a prat that had probably argued with his wife this morning! 
I will carry on enjoying my playing and making plans for my first open mic this year and ignore the idiot and his comments!

Boobs might make a difference with comfort on a big acoustic I guess - other than that just ignore the tool in the guitar shop. There's some very knowledgable and talented guys replied to this thread so far. Get practising!

And feel free to ask any stupid questions you like here - it seems to be the norm

Teyeplayer

Some guitar shops are just staffed by idiots, your gender will be pale into insignificance next to their arrogance; others will blow you away with their welcome and interest in keeping your passion for the instrument alive. Just walk away, vow never to use them again and don't take it personally.

The desire to make any guitar scream just shows you are passionate about this instrument, keep playing, enjoy it and sod anybody that suggests otherwise. But do please above all, never fail to slap men like that down and to put them in their place -they give the rest of us a bad rep!

vale

Blackjack said:

I am a pretty much 'no nothing beginner' who is trying hard to improve.

I was talking on the phone earlier to a guitar shop (not my usual one) who was very offhand and made several very caustic comments about 'women that think they can play guitar'. Sadly I have come across this attitude more than once too.  I know I probably need to toughen up and grow a pair but to be honest I found it all quite upsetting and a big knock to my already low confidence.  I was very honest with the guy on the phone, I didn't come across as if I was Erica Clapton, Davina Gilmour or any other female alter ego! 

So chaps, honesty time please before I make a total prat of myself again, is it wrong as a fat middle aged woman to be wanting to play guitar?  Not just strumming along to a little folk song or something as a lot of female guitarists seem content with (not that there is anything wrong in that) but wanting to be able to make my beloved Les Paul shout, sing or cry one of these days. I have a collection of guitars way above my needs or ability in reality but I love them! My two 'go to' ones are my Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro and my Taylor acoustic.

So folks, lady guitarists - Yay or Nay!!   Or any thoughts or opinions on the subject - I know it's probably a contentious one.

about being a beginner - everyone, male & female, begins life unable to feed or toilet themselves, speak or walk or play guitar.

about shop being rude - there are a lot of men and women who fancy theselves at being able to play better than they actually do, but the business of a shop is to sell kit, not to judge other people. try another member of staff, or try another shop. don't take it to heart. play to please yourself not others. if what you play to please yourself pleases others, let them listen.

as for body size - black francis from the pixies was huge and his legend always bigger still. it's not a barrier to being a good musician.

age is a state of mind. music at a 'pop' level is youth fixated, but that is about 1% of 1% of 1% of all the people in the world who make music. you're the youngest now you will ever be so make the most of it.

don't agonise about gear. a good player with an affinity strat will always sound better than a crap player with a custom shop. find something you feel comfortable playing within your budget and play it.

there are so many great female musicians (including guitarists), too many to list and to start listing according to gender is to get away from one of the greatest things about music anyway, that it is genderless as an art. sound has no gender. when you hear a song (without seeing the artist) you have no idea (vocals aside) whether it is a male or female playing.
dragging gender into the whole thing is pointless. it's a division that need not apply, so don't apply it.

long story short, ignore the haters and stay focused on doing your thing. you only live once.

hear gemma thompson of the savages.

Bridgehouse

Teyeplayer said:

Some guitar shops are just staffed by idiots, your gender will be pale into insignificance next to their arrogance
But do please above all, never fail to slap men like that down and to put them in their place -they give the rest of us a bad rep!

Amen.

Blackjack

Bridgehouse said:

Blackjack said:

Wow guys!!!!! 
Thank you so much for so many fabulous and encouraging replies! You are an amazing bunch you really are. 
The fact that I have boobs instead of balls had never crossed my mind as being relevant really. It's not as if guitar playing requires huge physical strength or anything! 
I will just write him off as being a bit of a prat that had probably argued with his wife this morning! 
I will carry on enjoying my playing and making plans for my first open mic this year and ignore the idiot and his comments!

Boobs might make a difference with comfort on a big acoustic I guess - other than that just ignore the tool in the guitar shop. There's some very knowledgable and talented guys replied to this thread so far. Get practising!

And feel free to ask any stupid questions you like here - it seems to be the norm

Thank you!!! I am the queen of stupid questions but hey, it's how you learn isn't it by asking. 

My Taylor is a dreadnought body but it's curves and mine fit together quite well but I did struggle with some when I tried them! Hahaha

Bridgehouse

Blackjack said:

Bridgehouse said:

Blackjack said:

Wow guys!!!!! 
Thank you so much for so many fabulous and encouraging replies! You are an amazing bunch you really are. 
The fact that I have boobs instead of balls had never crossed my mind as being relevant really. It's not as if guitar playing requires huge physical strength or anything! 
I will just write him off as being a bit of a prat that had probably argued with his wife this morning! 
I will carry on enjoying my playing and making plans for my first open mic this year and ignore the idiot and his comments!

Boobs might make a difference with comfort on a big acoustic I guess - other than that just ignore the tool in the guitar shop. There's some very knowledgable and talented guys replied to this thread so far. Get practising!

And feel free to ask any stupid questions you like here - it seems to be the norm

Thank you!!! I am the queen of stupid questions but hey, it's how you learn isn't it by asking. 

My Taylor is a dreadnought body but it's curves and mine fit together quite well but I did struggle with some when I tried them! Hahaha

You'll fit in just fine here

mike_l

Blackjack said:

I will just write him off as being a bit of a prat that had probably argued with his right hand this morning! 

Fixed for accuracy.....