Female Musicians who are Masters of their Instrument(s)

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It seems like when it comes to female musicians more attention (in the press at least) is paid to their images, life stories, etc. rather than their musical abilities...

which female musicians in your opinion are true virtuosos of their perspective instruments? Who are the best guitar players? Drummers? Pianists? etc...Who has the best chops?

― Johann (johann), Saturday, 27 August 2005 08:36 (twenty years ago)

http://www.belindabedekovic.com/video_fl_en.htm

― Captain Sleep (Captain Sleep), Saturday, 27 August 2005 09:03 (twenty years ago)

Singer: Elizabeth Fraser, she's a real virtuoso of her instrument (her voice!). OK maybe thats cheating.

― Trayce (trayce), Saturday, 27 August 2005 09:55 (twenty years ago)

drummer/singer karen carpenter.
guitar/vocals - lita ford.

― runaway boy, Saturday, 27 August 2005 10:17 (twenty years ago)

Joanna Newsom (harp, piano)
Joni Mitchell (guitar, autoharp etc)
Carol Kaye (Spector, Beach Boys bassist)
oooh, loads more

― Stew (stew s), Saturday, 27 August 2005 10:43 (twenty years ago)

Yo-Yo Ma

― sffg, Saturday, 27 August 2005 11:22 (twenty years ago)

I once met this girl named Bronwyn who I swear is to piano what Glenn Branca or Julian Swales is to guitar.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: a casualty of social estrangement. (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 27 August 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)

Carrie Brownstein

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Saturday, 27 August 2005 11:44 (twenty years ago)

fiona apple - piano

― rockafella, Saturday, 27 August 2005 12:46 (twenty years ago)

Mary Timony apparently gives guitar lessons. Vivianne Albertine practised with Keith Levine all the time.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: a casualty of social estrangement. (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 27 August 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

fuckin HEART, people!

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 27 August 2005 13:47 (twenty years ago)

one might add vanessa mae, violin. because of her skills, but also because of her popularity (and beauty).

― aeh (aeh), Saturday, 27 August 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

Alice Coltrane - harp, piano

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Geri mf Allen!

Possibly the greatest jazz pianist today (not counting Cecil Taylor, not only because he's a legend but is he actually playing jazz or some other thing of his own invention?)

Also, she played Mary Ann Williams in the movie Kansas City, which gives us another.
Susie Ybarra
Amina Claudine Meyers
Carla Bley
Bjork (I don't know what 'instrument' I'd say she plays, but she consistently makes records more fascinating than almost anybody, including what her collaborators do without her, so...)

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

Mary Timony apparently gives guitar lessons

She studied with my guitar teacher!

Who, by the way, also once had as a student, Michelle N'dege Ocello (sp?)

― Hurting (Hurting), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

Err, uh...Mary LOU Williams

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)

YOSHIMI (drums for Boredoms/Vooredoms)

― sleeve (sleeve), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

Austin, I'd put Marilyn Crispell and Sylvie Courvoisier up there at least as high as Geri Allen.

sleeve OTM (re Yoshimi)

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

The Great Kat

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

Carrie Brownstein

Pfff. You can have her. Give me Janet Weiss anyday. Most powerful drummer I've ever seen live (after Jimmy Chamberlain).

― PB, Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)

Cindy Blackman

― Hurting (Hurting), Saturday, 27 August 2005 14:43 (twenty years ago)

Dozens of classical musicians on all instruments (other than brass).

Non-classical:

Cindy Cashdollar
Alison Kraus
Natalie MacMaster
Susan Tedeschi
Janet Weiss, absolutely
and I think Carrie Brownstein, too
Melissa Auf Der Mar

― Vornado, Saturday, 27 August 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

Sheila E is a great percussionist!

― Dominique (dleone), Saturday, 27 August 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

Nobody's mentioned PJ Harvey yet? That's sad. She f*cking owns her instrument(s). Particularly the six-string, electric variety.

― Zimmer026 (Zimmer026), Saturday, 27 August 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

Alison Kraus OTM. One of the prettiest voices ever in popular music. (Does she play an instrument?)

― PB, Saturday, 27 August 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Reba - slide guitar?

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 27 August 2005 15:55 (twenty years ago)

Mother Maybelle Carter

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 27 August 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

I mean come on the woman practically invented an entire style of guitar playing.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 27 August 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

Alison Kraus plays a sweet, sweet fiddle.

― Stew (stew s), Saturday, 27 August 2005 16:30 (twenty years ago)

Zeena Parkins: harp
Wu Man: pipa
Eliane Radigue: ARP synthesizer
I second the Marilyn Crispell mention

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Saturday, 27 August 2005 17:12 (twenty years ago)

evelyn glennie, wendy carlos

― Captain Entropy (Captain Entropy), Saturday, 27 August 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

Oh no you di'nt

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 27 August 2005 17:29 (twenty years ago)

Meg White: Hi-Hat
Mo Tucker: Kick Drum

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Saturday, 27 August 2005 17:32 (twenty years ago)

Oh good lord, we had this conversation in 1990 or so....

― The Popish Plot (dymaxia), Saturday, 27 August 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

ivy rorschach

― lego, Saturday, 27 August 2005 18:17 (twenty years ago)

Kaki King - Guitar.

How come no one is talking about her. She is absolutely the queen of acoustic finger tapping.

― Voodoo Child, Saturday, 27 August 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

Charo - guitar

― Naca (Naca), Saturday, 27 August 2005 22:25 (twenty years ago)

Clara Rockmore, Lydia Kavina, Pamelia Kurstin - Theremin!

― Robbie Baldock (bongoboy), Saturday, 27 August 2005 23:17 (twenty years ago)

Maybelle Carter owed at least aspects of her guitar technique to some other guy, Leslie Riddle I think, who developed the style. But she still rocks. Based on the track on Imaginational Anthem I'd say the reason people don't talk about Kaki King is that she plays horribly uninteresting and mediocre drippy crap.

― Agmur Runtroother, Saturday, 27 August 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

Most of these answers are SO not serious if we think about the debates we'd be having talking about male guitarists, etc, etc.
Which is not a knock on women's chops.

Me'Shell is an amazing bassist.
Surprised no one has mentioned whats-her-name, Bonnie Raitt.

― Mitch Mitchell (mitya), Sunday, 28 August 2005 02:15 (twenty years ago)

Norah Jones plays a pretty sweet piano according to my jazz teacher

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 28 August 2005 02:56 (twenty years ago)

Surprised no one has mentioned whats-her-name, Bonnie Raitt.

I tried, except I called her Reba!

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Sunday, 28 August 2005 02:59 (twenty years ago)

Yoshimi from Boredoms/OOIOO otm. Her sense of melody as a guitarist and trumpeter is very unique also.

― the food has a top snake of 1 (ex machina), Sunday, 28 August 2005 03:08 (twenty years ago)

MARISSAD FUCKING MARCHANT YOU FOOLS.
I DON'T EVEN READ THOSE FUCKIN THREADS

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 28 August 2005 03:12 (twenty years ago)

but on the serious side, i guess i'd say elizabeth cotten.

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 28 August 2005 03:13 (twenty years ago)

marissad.

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 28 August 2005 03:13 (twenty years ago)

rory block
marcia ball
alicia keys
sara watkins

but as to the underlying assumption of this thread...

It seems like when it comes to female musicians more attention (in the press at least) is paid to their images, life stories, etc. rather than their musical abilities...

...i'm reasonably sure that goes for male musicians too.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Sunday, 28 August 2005 03:20 (twenty years ago)

Austin, I'd put Marilyn Crispell and Sylvie Courvoisier up there at least as high as Geri Allen.
sleeve OTM (re Yoshimi)

-- Rock Hardy (crump...), August 27th, 2005. (later)

Sounds like I've got some delightful listening ahead of me. Crispell I've heard a little bit from; Courvoisier, AFAIK, is cognac.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Sunday, 28 August 2005 03:36 (twenty years ago)

who the hell are you people talking about

― Jamey Lewis (Jameys Burning), Sunday, 28 August 2005 04:37 (twenty years ago)

Irene Schweitzer awesome pianist (better than marylin crispell and most other people)
Suzie Ibarra drums.

― steve ketchup, Sunday, 28 August 2005 15:03 (twenty years ago)

Ruth Underwood
Mireille Bauer
Lydia and Sophia Domancich
Patricia Dallio

― Joe (Joe), Monday, 29 August 2005 01:54 (twenty years ago)

Georgia Hubley - Yo La Tengo is all about the drumming, fool.

― Draw Tipsy, ya hack. (dave225.3), Monday, 29 August 2005 10:56 (twenty years ago)

Dave, I am a big fan of YLT, but G-Hub is not a master of her intstrument.

Ruth Underwood is a good choice -- I forgot about her. It's kind of a sad/cool story that when she left Zappa's band, she put down her mallets and didn't play again until she recorded some samples for him in the early 90s.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Monday, 29 August 2005 12:14 (twenty years ago)

ikue mori?

― petesmith (plsmith), Monday, 29 August 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

ooh - and the bassist from school of rock!

― petesmith (plsmith), Monday, 29 August 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

Bonnie Raitt is certainly among the best slide players evah (as opposed to guitar generally).

Janet Weiss and Gina Schock are two of my fave drummers.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Monday, 29 August 2005 12:50 (twenty years ago)

...i'm reasonably sure that goes for male musicians too.

fcc are you really contending that men and woman are measured by the same yardstick in the rock press?

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Monday, 29 August 2005 13:02 (twenty years ago)

Terri Lynne Carrington

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 29 August 2005 13:04 (twenty years ago)

Yo-Yo Ma
-- sffg (sdd...), August 27th, 2005.
are you kramer ?

― teil nennant, Monday, 29 August 2005 14:41 (twenty years ago)

fcc are you really contending that men and woman are measured by the same yardstick in the rock press?

no, but i AM contending that all press -- rock press, hip-hop press, tabloid press, magazines, tv, etc. -- cares more about images and life stories than musical ability in virtually all cases, male, female or otherwise. i mean, that's kind of obvious, isn't it?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 29 August 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

Wasn't Bonnie Raitt simply a Lowell George impersonator?

I wouldn't say she's all that exceptional compared to her peers.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Monday, 29 August 2005 16:19 (twenty years ago)

Brooker OTM. In a blind taste-test, Bonnie Raitt's slide licks are not tasty enough to change brands, as it were.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Monday, 29 August 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

tori

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Monday, 29 August 2005 17:41 (twenty years ago)

Kim fuckin Deal.
she pwnz.

― eedd, Monday, 29 August 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

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