You Play Pretty Good Guitar...For A Girl

Cyberspace has given a voice to everyone with an opinion on just about any topic of conversation you can imagine. The sage advice of not discussing money, religion or politics with friends has gotten lost in cyberspace, and anything goes. In this world that has lost its sense of humor and has become too politically correct, in many ways the Internet is a godsend. It's easy to say whatever you want, no matter how insulting or rude, when hiding safely behind a keyboard and computer monitor.

A frequent visitor to Heart's website message board, I've had plenty of conversations with fellow Heart fans over the years that I'm sure would never have taken place face to face. Some of my male guitarist friends continually pontificate on why there aren't more female guitar players rising in the ranks of rock music these days. The reasons offered in these discussions are as insulting as one might imagine.

One example literally made me laugh out loud. "What, women aren't great guitarists because they're afraid to break their fingernails?" I look at the stubs disguised as nails on the end of my fingers and think right off the bat how wrong that theory is. I've never had long nails because I play guitar therefore the fear of breaking a nail isn't a concern at all. This is the point I usually give up trying to have an intelligent conversation.

Most of my male guitarist friends recognize Nancy Wilson of Heart, my main guitar influence, as a great guitar player right up to the point that they dismiss her because she's not the lead guitarist in the band. What she does with an acoustic would surely qualify her as a great guitarist, wouldn't it?

This invariably leads to another trite discussion on why female guitar players don't play more leads, as if genitalia had any bearing on finger strength or how fast they fly across a fret board. These opinions would likely never be expressed in my presence in a face to face manner.

And while the discussion is a valid one, I think the focus is all wrong. The focus is always on lead playing, as if that is the only true measure of a good guitar player. Mentioning Jimmy Hendrix as a great guitar player, then dismissing Paul Simon simply because Paul Simon's skills are better suited to the acoustic guitar and not electric lead playing, is ridiculous and unfortunately, all too common. But you can't argue the fact that there really aren't a lot of great female lead players out there garnering the same spotlight in which their male counterparts bask.

The basic differences between men and women might explain why there aren't more popular and recognized female lead players. When asked why he wanted to learn to play the guitar, my 54 year old friend Lane was honest in his answer when he replied, "Why, to get chicks, of course."

This is not unusual of my male guitarist friends. Almost all of them started playing guitar because they were a little nerdy in high school and the guitar gave them an added coolness to which only the jocks had been privy before. Chicks loved guys with guitars, or so they all claimed in their little boys club. Not one of them ever said to me, "I saw Eric Clapton playing the guitar and I had to learn" or "I learned to play the guitar because I love music."

With that foundation, it's easy to understand why guys excel so well as lead players. Lead playing is showier than rhythm playing. And the male ego is a very powerful thing. Standing on a stage with the guitar in your hand, feeling the power of the Marshal stacks behind you... in front of adoring female fans who think you are the best thing since long-lasting lipstick. What guy wouldn't love the feeling of power being in that spotlight exudes? Apparently straight chicks dig that sort of thing and isn't that why they said they started playing to begin with?

I am a female guitar player who also happens to be a lesbian but I can honestly tell you that getting chicks was the furthest thing from my mind when I started learning to play the guitar. I was a musician before I discovered my sexuality. And now that I have discovered it, frankly, if I had to choose to live without one or the other, I'd give up sex quicker than I'd ever give up playing the guitar. (Note to self - maybe you're just not having the right sex...or any sex at all.)

Most of my female guitar player friends started playing because they saw Nancy Wilson of Heart playing the guitar. We are all within about a 10 year age range of each other, all having grown up in the Title 9 Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act days of the early seventies, when we actually had to fight to fund girl's sports.

While it isn't uncommon now to see a rock band fronted by women, back when I saw Heart on TV for the first time, Nancy Wilson seemed like an apparition, someone too good to be true. She was this beautiful woman, who was somewhat small in stature, projecting a larger than life stage persona, rocking out just as hard as Roger Fisher, who was responsible for a lot the lead playing in Heart's early days. She was pretty, sexy, powerful and yet very feminine.

Ann and Nancy Wilson were a new breed when I discovered Heart. Fleetwood Mac had Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks, but they didn't play guitar. And while Heart's lead singer, raven-haired Ann Wilson is known for her amazing vocals, the woman is a stellar musician who can hold her own on a guitar.

Ann and Nancy Wilson, like many musicians, site the Beatles as their main influence. Watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show had a life altering affect on the Wilson sisters much in the same way my seeing Heart back when I was a kid changed my life.

"We learned off Beatles records," Nancy Wilson told Acoustic Guitar magazine. "I knew every Beatles song, and still do. I also learned a lot of fingerstyle off Paul Simon. I learned [the Davey Graham cover] 'Anjie' pretty much note for note." This is how many of the hordes of Nancy Wilson fans learned to play the guitar: note for note by listening to Heart records. And that tradition is being passed down to our kids.

In May of 2006, I attended a Heart concert in Dallas. My online friend Rita was there and it would be our first time meeting in person. She attended the concert with her 9 year old daughter Kori who was already starting to learn to play the guitar because Mom, a huge Heart fan for many years, introduced her to Heart's music at a very young age.

During the concert, we were fortunate enough to be front row, right at the edge of the stage, halfway between Nancy on the left and Ann on the right, the most awesome spot for any hardcore Heart fan to claim.

Rita and I were mindful of Kori the whole time. We were afraid she might get crushed by the overzealous crowd. By this time, I had already attended over 20 Heart concerts in my time. At times on this night, I found more pleasure watching Kori watch her hero and mine, Nancy Wilson, than actually watching the band perform. Kori reminded me of myself, but not myself at 9 years of age, myself now.

My Heart concert ritual is to stand as close to Nancy as possible and take in a guitar lesson while I'm at it. While most fans are standing in jaw-dropping-awe listening to Ann Wilson wail on "Magic Man" or "Alone", I'm watching Nancy's fingers move on her electric guitar hoping just by osmosis I will become a better player. Kori seemed to be on the same page as she watched, eyes glued on every movement of Nancy's hands as they moved across the neck of her guitar. Her face was pure enthusiasm and wonder. And it was not lost on Ms. Wilson.

During a short break in her playing, Nancy knelt down and carefully placed her pick in Kori's hand. She held her hand over Kori's until she was sure Kori had the pick gripped firmly in her clutches. She gave her hand a little squeeze and the warmest appreciative smile, a smile only traded between fellow guitarists, and continued playing as if she didn't just make Kori's day for the rest of her life.

Nancy Wilson just made this kid's dream come true and then went on about her business like it was a normal day at the office. But for Kori, it was so much more. I know what it's like to stand in that spot and be in Kori's shoes. I wasn't 9 at the time but the feeling of wonder and excitement was just as intense at 37 when the same thing happened to me at a concert at the Vegas Hilton in 2003. There is no experience like it.

After the show, Rita and I agreed that we almost willed that moment to happen. It's two years later and little Kori has become quite the guitar player. Mom purchased Nancy Wilson's Signature Model Martin guitar for Kori and Kori has been channeling Nancy Wilson, or Ms. Nancy as she so affectionately calls her, ever since.

I have never directly asked Kori why she wanted to learn to play the guitar. But watching her absorb all she could at the feet of our master, it's clear that for Kori, it's not about getting chicks. It's about the music. It's about being inspired by a great guitarist who calls to you, partially because you're the same gender, but mostly because her playing simply moves you in a way that no other guitarists' does. And when you're 9 and the world is your oyster, and the pearl is Nancy Wilson of Heart handing you a guitar pick she just played your favorite Heart song with, anything is possible.

I long for the days when the discussion about the differences between male and female guitarists is no longer necessary, when guitarists are recognized for their skills and not their gender. "You play pretty good for a girl," is the comment Nancy Wilson had to endure through most of her career. In truth, she plays better than pretty good. Because of the door Nancy Wilson opened for me, I've never once heard anyone say that to me. But I'm not entirely sure I haven't heard it because they just don't believe I'm good at all, period, for a girl or boy.

My hope for Kori is that she never has to face the gender obsessed mentality from other players. Kori's wish is to be the next Nancy Wilson. She will never achieve this. I know this for I have seen the future: Kori, 23 years old, standing on a concert stage, wielding her Nancy Wilson Signature Martin Acoustic guitar, being watched intently by a 9 year old little girl who's secretly hoping to snag a Kori pick. There is only one Nancy Wilson. Kori will make her own name and inspire hordes of fans, just as our hero Nancy Wilson has. And no matter what, that's progress.