Females & Prog

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/musicclassical/

Maybe by the time women had more opportunity to get into composition, they may have been more likely to come to the conclusion that traditional classical music was an outmoded and elitist mode of expression that deserved to be ignored for excluding them all those years. I suppose if I wasn't a white male of European (or Russian) descent, classical music might have significantly less personal attraction.

On the other hand, the freedom of musical expression enabled the emergence of performers like Nellie McKay, so perhaps there is some merit in exclusion.

[QUOTE=James Lee]

In most cases women have not historically been encouraged in artistic self-expression. It goes for writing and performing music as well as painting & scuplture, and even dramatic arts (Shakespeare, like Kabuki, was typically performed with an all-male cast). It's really only in the last century or two that women began to have any sort of freedom in the 'fine arts', and traditions like that are slow to overturn, even subconsciously.

I agree, but then look at the bloom of female artists in the 20th century especially in litterature and in the field of composers you can hardly find women.Nadia Boulanger was more known for her teaching and even today in "modern popular music" (opposed to classic)I see only Carla Bley who claims herself as a composer and not a songwriterand Wendy Carlos.(By the way Escalator over the hill is Prog in his best for me)Even Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush orTori Amos for example who are outstanding musicians are mainly songwriters/performing artists, and in the case of Prog I don't consider Songwriting as composing.So where are the woman composers ?

[QUOTE=threefates]

You guys must be hanging in the wrong places.  I know lots of women who love prog.  And usually women who do love prog are definitely more music oriented than other women.  We spend a lot of time with the music on..,we tend to have our favorites.. .and we don't seem to be the types to put up with a lot of crap

OK I agree on my typical male comment! Another approach, Sophia Domancich, french pianiste, former girlfriend of Pip Pyle, who played on the Hatfield reunion tour replacing Dave Stewart, plays for me a"feminin" approach of Jazz/prog. Now, compare her playing with the one of Dave Stewart on the same tracks.She is a classical trained pianiste and I am sure she could have played it note for note in the Stewart way.But she gives the songs a more floating open touch, let's say more sensual.This is only one exemple and not very scientific, but IMHO the very straight organised playing of DS is a male component whrereas SD approach is feminine(not taking in account her personal style)What do you think :is there gender related music? There are so few women composers, why?Does it only reflect the social realities?

Is there an all-girl prog band ?

 

Yes Velvet to this lovely lady no?

ellebrille wrote: Is my world upside down? I am a female in her late thirty.  Do not look like a tomboy at all with all my  dresses and skirts.  People tend to think I like classic music because the way I dress??.  The guy at the music store started to laught when I told him I was looking for the Mars volta album when it came out. I have a boyfriend who says he likes prog.  He does not or his limits are Rush,Yes, Pink floyd and Genesis.  I really get on his nerves with my music.  I ran him crazy with my Marillion for the last 20 years.  Recently we had a fight about A Perfect circle (Thirteen steps) album in the car. I never had a friend who was listening the same kind of music as me.  Maybe I could have found a couple within the male gender but I feel it is impossible to get a friend relationship with a male. There is always seduction in the air! It does not matter since I am happy to listen to it alone.  Most precious things in life are my discman, my car radio, my computer speakers at the office and all my cd's.

I understand exactly how you feel, music is definitely a mans world I have often in the past felt out of place at a gig or in a record store even though i dont wear skirts and dresses. But nowdays maybe its down to confidence and just knowing how to blend in i dont find myself intimitated the same way.   

None of my girlfriends are interested in music full stop let alone Prog but i am lucky that i do have a male friend (that is happily married) that i go to gigs with and can have good discussions about music  but not prog though  But i am working on a cunning plan to convert him!  Also i have many friends online that i love sharing music with.

I agree with you about your most precious things although my children would come above them or maybe my laptop would .....

 

 

 

 

You guys must be hanging in the wrong places.  I know lots of women who love prog.  And usually women who do love prog are definitely more music oriented than other women.  We spend a lot of time with the music on..,we tend to have our favorites.. .and we don't seem to be the types to put up with a lot of crap.

Otherwise, we're probably the women you don't want to be married too!

On my personal experience (testing all kinds of music I LOVE on my girlfriend on a sunday morning, when she is barely awake) I established this conceptual continuity : the female species don't appreciate in general too much rhythm change and is more focused on melody.Let's say she would like Horizons and ask me to turn of Suppers Ready after 2 minutes.So her Number-One-Sunday- Morning-Killer is Zappa(which is my favourite pre Breakfast Opener)But then let's not forget, that the worlds best percussion player was Ruth Romanoff/Underwood who played with the Mothers(but then she was a classical trained musician).I know personally no lady who likes Prog.

Is my world upside down?

I am a female in her late thirty.  Do not look like a tomboy at all with all my  dresses and skirts.  People tend to think I like classic music because the way I dress??.  The guy at the music store started to laught when I told him I was looking for the Mars volta album when it came out.

I have a boyfriend who says he likes prog.  He does not or his limits are Rush,Yes, Pink floyd and Genesis.  I really get on his nerves with my music.  I ran him crazy with my Marillion for the last 20 years.  Recently we had a fight about A Perfect circle (Thirteen steps) album in the car.

I never had a friend who was listening the same kind of music as me.  Maybe I could have found a couple within the male gender but I feel it is impossible to get a friend relationship with a male. There is always seduction in the air! It does not matter since I am happy to listen to it alone. 

Most precious things in life are my discman, my car radio, my computer speakers at the office and all my cd's.

What part of England are ye from DORKSHIRE ???????????????