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Sure, the music scene is mainly dominated by men, but that doesn’t mean that girls interested in the music industry should somehow aspire to remain eye-candy spectators.
Christina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil writes, “I’d like women to be part of a band because of their talent, not because it’s cool to have a girl in the band. I can’t stand the idea of a woman who just stands there looking pretty.”
That’s where Jessica Hopper comes in. With her extensive experience as a writer, music critic, manager and musician, her “The Girls’ Guide to Rocking” is definitely the perfect handbook to getting you ready to rock out.
Hopper’s book starts at the very basics — gaining a good musical vocabulary, getting the right instrument, learning the anatomy of the instrument and how to best clean and store your gear. For example, in step two about finding a good guitar she explains, “If the strings are buzzing and hitting the neck when you pluck them individually, (the neck) is probably warped.” To help decipher these parts on the guitar, Hopper has an excellent image of the guitar’s individual parts, and she also includes a side view of a straight and warped guitar.
Music stores, an inevitable stop on the tour, can be a very intimidating place if you are fairly new to the scene. There are always guitarists repetitiously playing high-pitched solos while testing out a new wah-wah pedal or strumming an acoustic and singing out loud. Nearby, some keyboardist is running fingers all over some syncopated jazz. While in the far off corner of the store, there’s always a drummer or two leaning in to the outer edge of some new cymbals to listen for the right amount of crisp vibrations and clicking the tip of a drumstick over the inverted tinny sound coming out of a China crash. But with all the information Hopper gives you about the instruments, you should be ready to put your knowledge to the test. In the chapter “Let’s Get Ready to Rock,” Hopper discusses the most common instruments and gear used in a band — guitar, bass, drums, keys, effects pedals and vocals. She gives some tips to guitar and bass players when she writes, “It’s a common beginner’s misconception that strings last a long time. … If you play an hour or less every day, you should change your strings every month or two. If you are playing several hours a day, you should change your strings every two weeks.”
Aside from the excellent step-by-step process, Hopper also adds some excellent motivators and helpful information in her sidebars. She includes quotations from famous female musicians, the anatomy of a song, and as a big fan of lists, Hopper even gives the reader suggested listening, viewing and reading material according to music preferences.
With all this girl power talk, this book might seem like it is only for girls, however don’t be fooled by its seemingly young female focus. The information contained inside this book is eye-opening for even some seasoned veterans of both sexes. Hopper gives great information in an easy-to-understand style as she discusses everything from making a band, to learning the facets of recording, creating flyers, playing live shows and booking gigs, planning a tour, dealing with the music biz and using GarageBand to produce and mix your music.
Rating: W W W W