Why are most female rock musicians not as good as males?

from JoeUser Forums
The Go-Gos, The Bangles, Karen Carpenter, Irlene Mandrell, Melissa Etheridge; none of them impress me very much as musicians. The only ones I can think of that are any good are the drummer with Lenny Kravitz (I don't know her name) and Bonnie Raitt.

I think it is one of two things, or maybe a "Combination of the Two." (Extra points for the name of that artist.) Either they don't have enough testosterone, or the fact that most females start with instruments such as piano, clarinet or violin, then when they get into a band, they take up drums or guitar.

Your thoughts?
entertainment
21,516 views 54 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ICON, DA GOILS IS GONNA GETCHA.

MM HEADS FOR THE HILLS.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
I would have to disagree. I think Pat Benatar, Debbie Harry, and Cyndi Lauper are some of the greatest pioneers in the music industry....
Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ICON, DA GOILS IS GONNA GETCHA.


As long as it doesn't hurt.

I would have to disagree. I think Pat Benatar, Debbie Harry, and Cyndi Lauper are some of the greatest pioneers in the music industry....


I knew some female would say something like this. I said musicians, not singers. I've never seen any of them play an instrument. They only sing. I like all 3 of them as singers.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I've noticed that girl bands that think they're great aren't really all that. That's one of the reasons that I mostly listen to bands that are made up of guys.



PS - At first I figured you were just being a jerk, but then I read some stuff I've written, and I realized you're right. I overuse "that" and I'm working on it. Thanks.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
PS - At first I figured you were just being a jerk, but then I read some stuff I've written, and I realized you're right. I overuse "that" and I'm working on it. Thanks.


That's ok, Tex.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
I've noticed that girl bands that think they're great aren't really all that. That's one of the reasons that I mostly listen to bands that are made up of guys.

LOL...


And Icon............ Janis Joplin.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
And Icon............ Janis Joplin.


Once again, NOT A MUSICIAN! JEEZ!
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
The last time I checked singers were also musicians (I did go to school for music, I should KNOW a little something about this....)
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
I remember that the Wilson sisters (Heart) were pretty good instumentalist. More recently I can name some that are quite good: Juliana Hatfield (The Blake Babies), Joan Jett (Joan Jett and the Blackheads), Kelley Deal (The Breeders, The Amps, The Kelley Deal 6000).

And there are quite a few more.

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
The last time I checked singers were also musicians


How so? Being a singer automatically means they can play an instrument?

I remember that the Wilson sisters (Heart) were pretty good instumentalist. More recently I can name some that are quite good: Juliana Hatfield (The Blake Babies), Joan Jett (Joan Jett and the Blackheads), Kelley Deal (The Breeders, The Amps, The Kelley Deal 6000).


The only ones of these I've heard of are Ann and Nancy Wilson and Joan Jett. (The Blackhearts, not Blackheads). They play guitar, but they don't play lead. They don't play solos. All they do is strum chords. Same as Chrissie Hynde. They have guys in their bands to do that.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
Noooooooooooo... I thought Janis Joplin did "Combination of the Two".

And I was laughing at the italicized "thats"
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
Shredmistress Rynata Link

Lita Ford. (OK, maybe not the caliber of Hendrix, Santana, Page, Hammett or SRV [Head bowed in reverence ], but she's still plays a mean lead and she looks amazing. Waaaaay more attractive than Page. LOL )
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
um...your voice is considered an instrument...try telling Pavarotti that it's not....
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
i hadda whole list of em but then i realized even tho you'd included karen carpenter, you prolly really meant rock and not its roots or siblings. if you wanna expand it to include country, folk & blues, i could toss a few at you.

the answer to your question may have more to do with people's attitudes about touring than anything else. rock requires road.
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
And Icon............ Janis Joplin.


If you were telling me who recorded "Combination of the Two," you're partially correct and I apologize for the misunderstanding.
um...your voice is considered an instrument...


Ok, but that's not what I'm referring to. It's still singing, not playing guitar or drums.

Shredmistress Rynata


Never heard of her.

Lita Ford


I know of her, but I've never seen her play.

What about Hole? Are they any good?

i hadda whole list of em but then i realized even tho you'd included karen carpenter, you prolly really meant rock and not its roots or siblings. if you wanna expand it to include country, folk & blues, i could toss a few at you.


I included Bonnie Raitt. One of the best. Toss a few more.

the answer to your question may have more to do with people's attitudes about touring than anything else. rock requires road.


I'm not sure what you're saying. Do you mean females tire more easily than guys and their playing suffers because of it, or do you mean females don't like to tour as much as guys so they don't bother to learn to play better?
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
Toss a few more


mother maybelle carter & sara daugherty, elizabeth cotton, joan baez, mimi farina, aretha, erma franklin, joni, the dixie chicks, sheila e, the chick who plays guitar in paul schaefer's band, the chick who played keyboards in the old snl band...

I'm not sure what you're saying.


a lotta parents (and society in general) have reservations bout letting their daughters do stuff sons do freely. touring is pretty high up that list.
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos are really good musicians.

What about Hole? Are they any good


Aw, not really. I mean, as far as influencial goes. No. I compare them to Varuca Salt.

The Donnas were a pretty good punk band a few years back, but then they ended up changing their style into a more power pop thing selling out or whatever. Seems like female artist aren't really taken too seriously because of the other songs by women singers dressed like prostitutes, crooning (rather off-key) about how they like men, tease men, e to break hearts of men, etc., etc. So thanks to these singers, actual musicians/songwriters get looked over. Sucks

BTW, Alicia Keys is really good too.
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
Alicia Keys


dammit i KNEW i was gonna forget her.
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, and Vanessa Carlton. In case you don't know, Alicia Keys and Vanessa Carlton are Supburb Pianists with exellent vocals to compliment their playing ability. Avril Lavigne plays the gautar. I know there are more, and quite a few local women that can just WAIL on an instrument, I just can't remember names to save my life.

BTW, Alicia Keys is really good too


Ya know, my internet connection just went to crap and I just spent 10 minutes to get it back up, while I was, you took Alicia Keys
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
Link

Oh, and here is a link to femmuse.com a female musician site. Thought you might like it.

and sorry about the despicable spelling on my last post, but it wouldn't let me go back and edit it after I realized how bad it was.
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
When the Lillith Fair concerts were going strong I wondered if the time had come for female rockers. Alas, the great support it got from the music industry and fans started out strong but quickly faded.

The women that do make it in rock music do it outside the mainstream. There are formulas to mainstream music, formulas that the music industry sells and (from what I've seen) the average listener insists on. For whatever reason, female musicians are not part of that formula.
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
Since you only mentioned rock I will stay in that category. So it will be tougher for me.

Shredmistress Rynata is a talented guitarist. So is Jennifer Batten. She was Michael Jackson's guitarist during his big concert days. Her style is kinda like Eddie Van Halen's. Maybe that's why she got the MJ gig. I seen her live. She was in Jeff Beck's group and even played lead in a few songs.

Carol Kaye was/is a very good studio musician. She plays bass. She played on the Beach Boys albums. Brian Wilson calls her "the best damn bass player in the business". She also played on The Mothers of Invention's first 2 LPs. She said that she was the one who played that distintive bass sound in most of those Motown classics.

If I'm not mistaken I think the female drummer from Lenny Kravitz's band is Cindy Blackman. But I could be wrong.

good article, Icono. I really don't know why more female musicians aren't in rock. Maybe it's just one of those things that men just do better. You know you probably could do another article on why are most female comedians not as good as males.

btw isn't "Combination of the Two" a Big Brother & The Holding Company song?
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
Carol Kaye was/is a very good studio musician


totally forgot bout her as well dammit.
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top
You know you probably could do another article on why are most female comedians not as good as males


that'll be much easier to refute.
Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top
mother maybelle carter & sara daugherty, elizabeth cotton, joan baez, mimi farina, aretha, erma franklin, joni,


Aren't they all mostly singers?

the dixie chicks, sheila e, the chick who plays guitar in paul schaefer's band, the chick who played keyboards in the old snl band...


I haven't paid much attention to the Dixie Chicks. Sheila E. is great. The one in Schaefer's band is pretty good. Good female keyboardists aren't a surprise because of what I wrote in the last sentence in the body of this article. So that includes Alicia Keys, but I love her song "Karma."

I haven't heard Avril Lavigne, the Donnas or Jennifer Batten.

I also forgot about Carol Kaye. I have the Beach Boys in Concert album. She is real good.

btw isn't "Combination of the Two" a Big Brother & The Holding Company song?


Yep.
good article, Icono.


Thanks.