The Impact of Online Spaces on Women's Electric Guitar Practice
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Huddersfield
Department Name: School of Arts and Humanities
Abstract
This two-year postdoctoral project will analyse the impact of online spaces on women's electric guitar practice and examine the factors that enable and motivate women to become electric guitarists. Studies have shown that women have been inhibited from becoming electric guitarists due to a variety of sociocultural factors. However, these studies largely pre-dated the Internet and did not examine its role in related musical practices. The objectives of WEG are as follows: 1) To generate new data on women guitarists' online practices, with attention to different generations, and affordances of relevant platforms; 2) To generate new data about the specifically gendered nature of that engagement, both positive and negative; and 3) To generate new data on the changing discourses about guitars and women guitarists. The objectives will be achieved through three phases of research. The first will involve analysis of online guitar magazines to locate content related to women and their guitar practices and to establish what the discourses around them are. Next, the ER will utilize netnography to explore and analyse women's online activities related to electric guitar practice, such as watching tutorials, taking lessons, buying equipment, posting self-performance videos, and engaging in online forums. Third, the ER will conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with women electric guitarists from a wide age range and with different levels of experience. WEG will generate new knowledge that will be of interest to scholars across disciplines, will be relevant to the marketing departments of guitar manufacturers, and aims to encourage more women to become interested in the electric guitar and therefore play a role in consumer awareness. WEG will enhance the ER's career prospects by enabling a more developed intellectual profile, methodological expertise, four publications that will strengthen her publication record, and will foster a relevant, UK-based professional network.
Organisations
| Description | This award generated several significant achievements. First, the research generated new and substantial knowledge about the great diversity of women electric guitarists and their experiences as musicians. This means that the findings provide an expanded understanding of who plays the electric guitar and what it means to be a guitarist while also working against narrow conceptions of women in this role. Second, the findings problematised and further developed aspects of existent research in this area. It advanced and nuanced knowledge about the gendered experience of being an electric guitarist and made stronger links between the instrument and identity. Third, the research generated unexpected findings about the significance and use of online spaces in women's electric guitar practice and experiences. Fourth, the research sample and data set were derived from both well-known and established women electric guitarists as well as locally based and less visible musicians. Collectively, this enabled a range of voices and experiences in an international context to contribute to the narrative. Finally, the award fostered an opportunity to open up a discussion with colleagues about this subject as well as to raise awareness and generate interest and support both inside and outside the academy that is ongoing. Overall, the award objectives were met. Research conducted for this project fulfilled the stated objectives, which were to generate new data on women guitarists' online practices, to generate new data about the specifically gendered nature of that engagement, and to generate new data on the changing discourses about guitars and women guitarists. Through in-depth interviews, social media analysis and magazine analysis, the Researcher collected significant data regarding the practices and experiences of women electric guitarists. More specifically, the data represents important insights into why and how a diverse group of women learn to play the instrument, the factors that motivate and enable them to do so, how they deal with and/or overcome barriers, and the role of the internet and online spaces in their practice. Further, it provides information about their role models and support networks, views on the gendered nature of the instrument, and perspectives on online platforms that make new contributions to knowledge. The research conducted also resulted in substantial evidence of women's contributions as guitarists that can lead to advancing the narrative and creating a more inclusive account of electric guitar history and work toward normalising women in this role. It also generated insights about women's representation in online spaces, how it can shape and advance the understanding of them as electric guitarists, and the extent to which women find the internet a useful resource in their careers and musical practice. |
| Exploitation Route | The Researcher will build on some of the findings in a book project that will more closely examine the connection between the electric guitar and identity, work to situate women electric guitarists, specifically rhythm guitarists, into the history of the instrument, reposition women's relationship with the instrument through the lens of longevity, and illuminate the joy and pleasure they experience from being electric guitarists. The Researcher will also further develop aspects of the findings in her Next Destination by exploring the role and significance of amplification in women electric guitarists' practices and experiences and thereby investigating the technologies around the instrument. The research findings could be taken forward by scholars of popular music and media studies. For example, research could explore the reception to women electric guitarists in online spaces and could look more closely at commercially produced online educational tools and their relation to gender. Additionally, comparative studies could be useful for understanding the differences and similarities in the online experiences of women, men and gender diverse individuals as well as in their offline everyday musical practices. Finally, the guitar and music industries, as well as the guitar and music press, could utilise findings to advance the narrative of women electric guitarists in the content of their marketing efforts and editorial outputs. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Culture Heritage Museums and Collections Other |
| Description | Research conducted for this project led to the establishment of an international network of contacts including musicians, particularly women electric guitarists working in the United Kingdom and the United States, workers in the guitar and music industries, such as guitar shop owners and instructors in Canada and the US, and people working for organisations that advocate for the advancement of women in music, such as the Women's International Music Network in the US and Amplify Her in the UK. As such, the findings are directly applicable to these individuals' interests and causes. The research and findings, generally speaking, also contribute to raising awareness about gender inequality in the music industries and in advancing a more balanced and inclusive understanding of popular music and guitar history. The findings also generate greater visibility for women guitarists and serve as a resource for women who may be interested in playing the guitar. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to be part of the Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team as a representative in my role as a research fellow. The Athena Swan charter is a framework used to support and transform gender equality in Higher Education and the School of Arts and Humanities is currently applying for an award to recognise it's gender equality efforts. I was asked to join the team to help with the application. Participation involves monthly meetings between September 2023 to April 2024. Part of the application involves listing the profiles of the team's members. My research that is funded by this award is an asset to the application given its focus on gender. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| URL | https://advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/transformed-uk-athena-swan-charter |
| Description | Guest Lectures |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I gave two guest lectures that related to my research project, and the knowledge I have acquired through it, that is funded by this award. The first lecture was in the Fall 2023 term in the module called Popular Music Studies and the second lecture was in the Spring 2024 term in the module Music, Gender, and Identity. The lectures were part of the scheduled sessions of the modules and were attended by undergraduate students in years 2 and 3. Students engaged with the material, asked questions, and were assigned a short research/class activity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | Online symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | One-day online symposium featuring talks by eight international scholars and practitioners speaking on topics related to popular music broadly and the subject matter addressed in the award project more specifically. Event was well attended and each presentation generated questions and discussion. The event strengthened ties between international institutions and scholars and raised awareness of recent research being generated in the field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/704372b8-d707-4a9b-976c-85fc0826a52a@b52e9fda-0691-4585-bdf... |
| Description | Popular Music Studies Research Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was a participant in the Popular Music Studies Research Group in 2022-2023 and am now the co-chair for 2023-2024. The general purpose of the group is to provide a space in which to workshop work-in-progress research and to receive constructive feedback from peers working in the same field. The group meets five times per academic year, either on Teams or in person. There are almost 60 members of the group, which consists of postgraduate researchers, early career researchers, and senior academic staff/faculty based locally, nationally, and internationally. Members communicate via a mailing list and attendance at individual sessions varies. In 2022, I presented research funded by this award to the group, engaged in an extended discussion about the research, and answered questions. My role as co-chair generates greater awareness about my project and creates strong opportunities for networking. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023,2024 |
| Description | Presentation - Music and Music Technology Research Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The MMT Research Forum is a weekly event that features a presentation by either a member of the department or an academic invited from another institution. It is a 90-minute session that includes a presentation, discussion, and Q&A. It is attended by academic staff and postgraduate students, and sessions are often live streamed. I gave a talk on my research project that is funded by this award. The talk included an overview of the project as well as current findings. It generated extensive and lively discussion, with audience members (students and staff) sharing their perspectives and experiences, and offering interesting ideas to explore. It also proved to be a valuable opportunity for networking and creating awareness for the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |