A question for all the musicians and others. It is interesting that there are so many creative and musical girls among us.
Why is it femininity, ie; women, are so unrepresented in the instrumental sections of Rock or Jazz bands ?
In Classical or chamber music I notice there is a preponderance of female performers?
This post was edited by Nicky Miniskirt at March 2, 2013 1:53 PM GMT

interesting thought..no answer

Interesting question, Nicky, and it's one that I'm particularly interested in. I've been posting a few videos on here called "Play Like a Girl", in which I've been trying to show women who are great instrumental players in rock and jazz. Even in Classical music, though, it's only been in the last century that there have been a lot of female instrumentalists, and mostly they have played the more traditionally "female" instruments like flute and violin. Thankfully, this has now changed. As a high school music teacher, reflecting back over my many years of teaching, I must say that the best trumpet players and drummers I've had have been girls! Change comes slowly, even in music, but it does come. Thanks for posting this. Now I feel like posting another "Play Like a Girl" video lol.
Nina xx

I guess the testosterone comes into the wild lead guitar and the phallic undertones.
But what about Rhythm and Bass or Drums ?
I know a few girls here in Australia who have been in hard rocking outfits who have played Bass or Drums.
Is it that most girls are not angry enough ?

And why are some instruments traditionally "female" ?
The greatest players are always male ?

Or is it only the information we are allowed to have?

Well, I know why the dijeridu is male lol....There's great female bass players and drummers nowadays. Just not as many because it hasn't been very long that girls would have been encouraged to play those instruments. One of my favorite drummers is Terri Lyn Carrington, and how about Tal Wilkenfeld, an amazing bass player. The times they are a' changin'.

Erm, Lita Ford, Patricia Morrison... thats just two from the 80's there are many great female musicians out there!

Yeah, true, but the fact remains.
Is rock and roll and jazz a way for males to express their hard ons ?
Or is it Art ?

Good examples, Kaitlyn. Also Joan Jett, Hannah Ford, and lots in jazz. But even so, Nicky, I think Rock has always had an aggressive attitude..Jazz, also, but maybe less so. So how do you define art? It's too early in the day for me to tackle a philosophical question like that lol....but I love open-ended questions like that. We should sit down with a good bottle of wine or a spliff or both and philosophize.

Suzy Quatro and Chrissie Hynde spring to mind - but neither of them are girls any more.

Mostly women have either been great solo singers or in girl groups, So I am struggling to think of many who are/were in rock bands playing guitars or other instruments and not "just" singing

A quick google found that there were more than women playing instruments than I thought as female band players

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-female_band

Others I found include Avril Lavigne (guitarist) and Vixen (all girl rock band) as well as Joan Jett - if I exclude lead vocalists which would be in line with Nicky's Question.
http://www.squidoo.com/Ten-Best-Female-Rock-Bands - this mainly has female lead singers.

maybe there are more???

It might be a bit like the history of painting - there were/are loads of women artists but you rarely hear of them because women's contributions to art were written out of history by the patrons. Maybe in rock the promoters do the same thing. There's a great book on how women are painted out of history called Hidden from History by Sheila Rowbotham (mainly about social and political history but maybe the same principles apply).

Galhammer... from Japan, erm The Great Kat, mind blowing guitar player, and Violinist.

Mcqueen, if i remember right ? Octavia Sperati, i think ? xx

Andrea Haugen ( Hagalaz Runedance )

A few of my favourites:

Kristin Hersh
Kelley Deal
Joan Jett
Orianthi
Carrie Brownstein
Marnie Stern
Donita Sparks
Polina Kourakina
Lita Ford
Nancy Wilson
Jennifer Batten
Kaki King
Tanya Donelly
Sarah Lipstate
Juliana Hatfield
Miki Berenyi
Kathleen Hanna
Liz Phair
Elizabeth Cotten
Maybelle Carter
Jocelyn Celeya
Carol Kaye
Kim Deal
Gail Ann Dorsey
Kathy Valentine
Jill Emery
Sara Lee
Melissa Auf der Maur
Kim Gordon
Michie Nakatani
Micki Steele
Kira Roessler
Gail Greenwood
Zia McCabe

Not being a musician I've no idea as to her technical ability, but I must say that I've always had a soft spot for Talking Heads bass player Tina Weymouth.

emilie autumn if you have never herd of her check her out and im sure you will love her

Now we are getting somewhere !
There actually are many women musicians who play instruments but they are not accorded the status of their male counterparts.
Why is that ??

I think as modern music changes with society and a more feminine voice is found and expressed within all our arts and, I hope, our political and economic movements, more people with a feminine colour or flavour are heard.

And I don't mean just Genetic Women !