Female bassists and your thoughts...

[sevdog]

You're right. It's not a "fair point." So what? If someone invokes that as their lame excuse, pointing out that's it's not a fair point isn't going to change their minds. Life is not fair.

I was not recommending trying to change their minds. My recommendation was to kick them in the nuts.

 

[FunkHead]

Honestly, Getting the "Right" Gig is hard no matter what. You can be a great bass player and just not click with the band. They might be idiots that you don't want to be in a band with and just don't know it yet. You have to just keep plugging way at it until it clicks. I personally believe that there is a higher power involved. I feel that I was put on earth to play bass. If I was a female, Some things would be different but it wouldn't necessarily be harder or easier. Just Different.

 

[skwee]

There is no reason why a woman shouldn't be considered the right person for a job. If someone is that insecure, I feel sorry for them. It's about how good of a musician you are, not your looks, not your gender.

 

[Musiclogic]

Never understood why women would be looked down upon, if they can do their job, be it bass, drums, guitar, etc, who cares? That is why they are there. I played with women, was never a problem.

 

[GlassOnion]

Love what you do. Learn your instrument. Who gives a damn what anyone else thinks or what music genre does or does not have. Since when did it matter what anyone else thinks?
Oh that is right.... never.
Not trying to be a dickhead but seriously, if they don't sign your checks then they do not matter.

 

[Marley's Ghost]

Hi there...welcome to TB. Go over to the new members forum and introduce yourself.

Read the various FAQ's and fill out your profile.

A key thing here is that "a picture is worth a thousand words". And a female picture could be up to 10,000. Just sayin.

 

[stagebanter]

My only problem with female musicians is I DON'T HAVE ONE BECAUSE ALL THAT MATTERS IS IF YOU CAN PLAY AND LOOK LIKE A ROCK STAR AT THE SAME TIME.

Sincerely, a musician

 

[Munjibunga]

I was not recommending trying to change their minds. My recommendation was to kick them in the nuts.

Yeah, that'll solve the problem.

 

[dtripoli]

Girl musician in the band?
No problem. In the last 5 years, every band I have been in has female musicians and/or singers.
It all comes down to talent regardless of gender.

A few years back I was in a mediocre cover band and they brought on a female keyboardist. Man, she played excellent and could master any song or arrangement you threw at her on the spot. She also played a little guitar. For our next gig our guitar player says she should back him up on guitar for a few songs that don't require keyboard. No problem.
At the gig, she sets up her keys, sits down and has a Fender Stat on here lap. As the gig goes on, she is flawlessly alternating from keys to guitar w/o missing a beat and nailing all the parts. By the 4th-5th songs it is apparent she is blowing the regular guitarist out of the water with skill and creative melodies.
From that gig on the guitarist did everything in his power to get her out of the group. She beat him to the punch and quit. I quickly followed suit and joined up with her in the next band.

 

[two fingers]

I love 'em. All of the female bassists I have know were rock solid. Women tend to "care" a little bit more to me. Sure, they can put on a show, but not at the expense of good playing.

By the way, I'm an industrial electrician as well. And the best electrician I ever met was a 5'0" woman who weighed about 80 pounds soaking wet. She knew just about everything there is to know about chasing sparks.

Best of luck to you.

 

[kleinenenten]

As a female bassist myself, I'm just wondering what everyone else thinks about us generally.
I don't see any female musicians in bands of my chosen genre (metal, metalcore, deathcore etc...) which sucks but also gives me something to strive towards.
I've had rejections from bands because "a girl in the band just wouldn't look right" which is a fair point I suppose, but still grinds my gears.

Not sure if they're your style, but both Arch Enemy and Bolt Thrower have female members. Give 'em a shot.

 

[two fingers]

But as a PS, I am a bit uncomfortable with female musicians who sell T & A too hard. It comes across to me like their bodies are more important than what they play. It detracts from being accepted as a good player, and makes others see them as sex objects, not musicians.

That can be said for a lot more than musicians.

 

[audioglenn]

As a female bassist myself, I'm just wondering what everyone else thinks about us generally.
I don't see any female musicians in bands of my chosen genre (metal, metalcore, deathcore etc...) which sucks but also gives me something to strive towards.
I've had rejections from bands because "a girl in the band just wouldn't look right" which is a fair point I suppose, but still grinds my gears.

It doesn't matter to me...girl or guy...as long as you can play the instrument(and that goes for any instrument), then you're more than welcome. To be honest, I really don't care for bands that "use" girls as eye candy for the audience.
...and I completely understand why "a girl in the band just wouldn't look right" grinds your gears.

 

[1954bassman]

To the original post: Its possible there was a completely different reason / issue with you being part of their band, that it could (or could not) have anything to do with you, so they played the "no chicks in the band" card.

Just saying...

 

[EvanF1322]

A musician is a musician, male or female..As long as you can play well then who cares what other peoples opinions are. There's a female bassist here in town who started a cover band, who will remain nameless. They play every couple months, literally reading all of their songs out of a book....I think she sucks, and i would say the same thing if it were a dude on bass.. Keep on truckin and playing music if you really enjoy it!

 

[sound of bass]

I agree gender has nothing to do with it. But personally....there is nothing hotter to me than a sexy gal wailing away on her bass. Whew!

 

[EvanF1322]

this dude loves female bassist, especially who play reggae

 

[csanders]

Female hard rock/metal bassists not yet mentioned:

Sean Yseult of White Zombie

Paz Lenchantin of A Perfect Circle

Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies
Link Removed

Not the hardest, but I thought they were worth mentioning.

PS. Not to be "that guy", but like was mentioned earlier... Lady Bassists, Kinda hot.

 

[jungleheat]

In 3 of the 4 bands I'm in, there's a female member. 1 just sings (although I think she plays some piano too, but not in the band), 1 sings and plays acoustic guitar and keys, and the last one plays bass (in this band). But she is also a pretty good guitar player, great harmony vocalist (she has perfect pitch, which is both annoying and awesome), and plays cello too (in a small symphony orchestra). So I consider her a musical asset in pretty much any band. As a result, she keeps pretty busy, and is in at least 3 bands currently.

So yeah, my view is whoever shows up that can do that job, male or female is fine.

 

[pocketgroove]

Female bassist here. I think that there are more female musicians out there all the time, and it's becoming less of a big deal. That being said, there are certain considerations and issues in the music world that are unique to us. I personally have a lot of anxiety going into a situation with unfamiliar musicians because you don't always know how people will react. Still, the majority of musicians I've met have been awesome and had no problem with it. They make their judgments based on musical ability.

So, in conclusion, the best course of action is to have fun, be yourself, and play your best.