Why is there no female Stevie Ray Vaughan?

Question

In case you don't know who that is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST2snn0zppQ

If, according to feminists, women suffer more, and if suffering breeds creation, there should be 1,000's of great female guitarists.

I am serious about this question.

Is there something about a male's brain that makes them better musicians, or is it physical?

Answer 1

This just shows your ignorance of what music is out there. There are many exceptional woman musicians but I will not bother to post any seeing is I do not even think it will matter.

Answer 2

Because she would have been named Sarah!

Answer 3

There are plenty of great female musicians.  Unfortunately, most radio stations are owned by huge conglomerates, and they're more interested in pretty young pop stars who wear bikinis when they perform.  Try listening to some independent artists and women like Sharon Jones, Janiva Magness, The Stone Coyotes or Lucinda Williams.

Answer 4

Gabriela from Rodrigo y Gabriela is one of the best guitarists, male or female, I've ever seen... but the guitar is one of the easiest instruments out there. The International Violin Competition, which consists of some of the best violinists in the world, consists of 20 participants. Women usually make up 16-19 of the participants any given year. It seems you are only measuring great musicianship as a guitarist who makes the Billboard charts. But I think there are two reasons why you don't see as many female guitarists as male:

1. There are some out there, but modern pop music is not really kind to anything that isn't pop-infused country, bubblegum pop, or pop-infused rap and R&B. Like I said, Gabriela from Rodrigo y Gabriela is amazing. Have you ever heard of them? Probably not.

2. The guitar is traditionally a male instrument. When I was in orchestra, most of our string bass players were males, and our violinist were females. It was not because girls could not play the bass. Quite the contrary. The bass usually has some of the simplest and easiest parts to play. The violin is far more complicated to play. It was because the bass is perceived as not a very "feminine" instrument to play. Look at a high school band. Most of the girls play the flutes, clarinets, and french horns, whereas the boys play the tubas and the percussion.

Answer 5

It's a bit of both. Plus drive.

The usual reasons behind female non achievement.

Answer 6

I hope I  understood your question.

If you're talking about women playing the same style as Stevie Ray Vaughan, I can say SRV had probably the strongest hands in the history of blues. He played with 0.013 - 0.056 gauge strings and bent them like they were 0.009's! His style is extremely aggressive on the guitar and picking. It takes a lot of physical strength that even most male guitar players can't play it. (I'm not saying women can't have enough physical strength, but it's more difficult to find)

If you're talking about female guitar players, I have some great examples:

- Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson's guitar player some time ago, awesome technique and speed) -  www.jenniferbatten.com

- Bonnie Raitt (amazing slide guitar player, admired by all the blues legends including BB King, Buddy Guy, SRV, etc) - www.bonnieraitt.com

- Susan Tedeschi (great female blues player) - www.susantedeschi.com

- Ida Presti (classical guitar player; together with Alexandre Lagoya, one of the greatest classical guitar players, she played in the famous Lagoya-Presti classical guitar duo) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTG3MUwr...

Hope this helps,

Answer 7

Dude if you're not really looking for female musicians you won't find them.

Traditionally women were always guitarless singers (at the most drummers). There's some catching up to do, but they're there:

Chrissie Hynde (Bandleader & guitarist: The Pretenders)

Stevie Nicks (Guitar & Voice in Fleetwood Mac & as a solo artist).

Carol Bayer-Sager.

Alanis Morrisette.

And there was Joan Baez in the 60s and Carole King

There are more, but you get the gist. It seems women prefer to concentrate on songcraft. In fact Carole King, with her husband Gerry Goffin, wrote dozens of songs that were covered in the 50 and 60s.

Answer 8

One day I will complete my song entitled "Eat It, Dickie Betts!"

I adore Dickie Betts, but intend to one day outdo the old codger...

Answer 9

Your name reminds me of the 'Barber paradox': if a barber is defined as the person who shaves everyone who doesn't shave themselves, then who shaves the barber?

How will you block yourself?

edit - Easier for you perhaps.

Answer 10

And how do you know there aren't thousands of great female guitarists? I have a friend who is a classical guitarist who has played Carnegie Hall.

You? When's the last time you were at Carnegie Hall? Oh, never...right.