Current:Home > ContactWomen guitarists are increasing in popularity on social media and changing the face of music -FundGuru
Women guitarists are increasing in popularity on social media and changing the face of music
View
Date:2025-04-15 20:32:21
In the evolving world of music, one shift is challenging the once male-dominated field of guitarists. Social media has spotlighted a wave of female guitarists, showcasing their talent and passion for the instrument.
Grace Bowers, a 17-year-old mostly self-taught guitarist, found an audience on Reddit during the pandemic. She stumbled upon a Guns N' Roses music video, and her admiration for Slash's iconic style sparked her musical journey.
"He's iconic: The Les Paul (guitar) and the top hat. I'd never seen anything before like that. I'd never seen live music before, so seeing that really opened up a whole new world for me," said Bowers.
Despite her initial struggles with learning the guitar, her perseverance turned her small online following into widespread recognition, earning Bowers spots on grand stages like the Newport Folk Festival and a national New Year's Eve broadcast on CBS.
But Bowers said she still faces discrimination she says is due to her gender.
"I was sitting at my guitar and the sound guy comes up to me and tells me how to plug it in," Bowers said. "I just don't think it would have happened if I was a dude. I know a lot of people in Nashville who have the same story as me, and it's because people underestimate them for being a girl."
The legacy of pioneering female guitarists like Joan Jett, Bonnie Raitt and Sister Rosetta Tharpe has paved the way for this new generation. Yet, as Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist and musician who studies guitar trends, points out, "It was a sexist industry."
"Musicians had to pass through the portholes of club owners who were both racist and sexist. The record companies treated women as a novelty," said Levitin.
But that landscape is changing, as evidenced by a 2018 Fender study showing women account for 50% of beginner and aspirational guitar players. This shift isn't about women wanting to emulate male guitar legends like Eric Clapton, but about establishing their identity in the music world, inspiring future generations to admire female musicians for their unique styles.
The narrative is further moved by young talents like Mollie Montgomery, a 16-year-old still mastering her craft after starting lessons two years ago. Her experience reflects a growing trend of young women and girls seeing themselves in the new generation of guitarists, such as Grammy winner Brittany Howard and H.E.R., who performed at the Super Bowl.
Claudia Terry, Montgomery's instructor, mostly teaches female students now, which she says is a stark contrast to her own early experiences.
"Having that bond with my female students that I have, I wish that I had had that because there is a bit of a stigma against female guitar players and not believing that they want to be guitar players to really just be guitar players," said Terry.
Meanwhile, Bowers envisions a collaborative future in the music industry.
"The type of band I want to put together is more like Sly and the Family Stone," she said. "There are a lot of artists out there where it's focused on one person. I want a band."
Vladimir DuthiersVladimir Duthiers is a CBS News correspondent based in New York.
TwitterveryGood! (8585)
Related
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Companies in Texas Exploit ‘Loopholes,’ Attribute 1 Million Pounds of Air Pollution to Recent Freezing Weather
- Justin Timberlake Is Suiting Up For His New World Tour: All the Noteworthy Details
- People take to the beach as winter heat wave hits much of Spain
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Jurgen Klopp announces he will step down as Liverpool manager at end of the season
- Jurgen Klopp announces he will step down as Liverpool manager at end of the season
- Why Kylie Kelce Was “All For” Jason’s Shirtless Moment at Chiefs Playoffs Game
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Evacuations underway in northeast Illinois after ice jam break on river causes significant flooding
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Teen Mom’s Kailyn Lowry Shares Her Twins Spent Weeks in NICU After Premature Birth
- Are you ready for a $1,000 emergency expense? Study says less than half of Americans are.
- George Carlin estate sues over fake comedy special purportedly generated by AI
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- 'Heartless crime': Bronze Jackie Robinson statue cut down, stolen from youth baseball field
- George Carlin estate sues over fake comedy special purportedly generated by AI
- Ukrainian-born Miss Japan rekindles an old question: What does it mean to be Japanese?
Recommendation
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Lawmakers warn that Biden must seek authorization before further strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels
Meet Noah Kahan, Grammy best new artist nominee who's 'mean because I grew up in New England'
King Charles admitted to London hospital for prostate treatment, palace says
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Here's why employees should think about their email signature
Mass graves are still being found, almost 30 years after Rwanda’s genocide, official says
An American reporter jailed in Russia loses his appeal, meaning he’ll stay in jail through March