Women with Mandolins

[Bertram Henze]

...a mandolin playing woman that looks a lot like that Gibson Lyre mandolin at this site

Did you mean this one?

I guess that's what you get when the scroll gets unwound...

Bertram

[journeybear]

This is from the Glasgow KY website:

On Saturday, March 24th, [2007] the whole family went to Renfro Valley to hear Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. They were great as usual and the whole family had a great time. The picture shows Doyle Lawson signing my daughter's mandolin, with her looking on. She was so excited and shows everyone the mandolin and the photos. Thanks for letting me share this with you.

Rusty Anderson

[Samjessin]

Would you believe ... women ON mandolins? OK, the first two are angels, but they seem to be female angels. Very nice work, especially the carving. These are by Ken Ratcliff, who I believe is a member. Now if only the one in the middle were playing a mandolin ...

Hey I know that girl on the right, that used to be a mandolin of Frank Wakefield's and is now on the list, I believe.

[Django Fret]

Here are pictures of three women named Meaghan along with their different style mandolins:

Meaghan Courtney, Meaghan Murphy and Meaghan Ruadh.

[Bertram Henze]

There is a woman playing a mando in the background of this performance of the Leahy family; it must be said that the mando plays a rather pathetic, silent role in the shadow of this fiddlerama, but the woman behind it seems quite enthusiastic about banging away.
The puzzled old men sitting in the middle of it all are the Chieftains.



Bertram

[John Flynn]

Here's a pic of one of the Leahy ladies playing a Godin. Sorry about the size. It looks a lot better on the Leahy website.

[chuckaluca]

Personally, I just think it's a shame that we are so accustomed to the use of women's scantily clad bodies sell stuff. (and usually the stuff being sold profits someone else far more than the scantily clad woman). I also think that it's a shame that women are taken less seriously in many fields (including music) such that they need to (or feel they need to) use their bodies to attract attention to their very real skills.

Her playing speaks for itself. She could be wearing a burlap sack and combat boots and her playing would still be terrific... and equally deserving of the same attention. There is a double standard... men are more likely to be taken seriously for their skills without having to resort to showing off chiseled pecs and abs. Think about how many great male musicians would be missing from the music world if only the ones with "hot" bodies and pretty faces had been given a shot. Think about how many great women musicians are currently missing.

I'm not really sure that most men fully understand what it is like to live as a woman in a culture that so often judges women first and foremost on the degree to which we conform to near impossible standards of beauty... and then only after that pays attention (maybe) to our talent and intelligence and character. Frankly, it stinks.

Most of the conversations on the Cafe are relatively free of this dynamic, and it is a welcome respite to be a part of a community where women mandolin enthusiasts can be on equal ground (if not in equal numbers) with men mandolin enthusiasts. I'm just sorry to see it sneak in on the occasions when it does. It seems so unnecessary.

just my opinion...and no personal attack on anyone is intended here.

Per pages 11-12, 15-17

In regard to Scarlett. There are plenty of posts here that imply her dress is an effort to sell music. Sex = Sales. I say baloney. While the concept is true, it doesn't hold here. Not an attempt/ tool used for marketing. The audience Sony Arista has been selling this group to is TRADITIONAL COUNTRY... and I'm sorry my friends, traditional country audiences don't buy that way. In fact a very hard sell

My path has crossed with Scarlett through the years, since her parents dressed her like a little Amish girl until she grew beyond their control.

Getting the picture? While I can't speak for Scarlett, IMO her dress is nothing other than the pendulum swinging back the other way. While most children were dressing normally, she and her sisters were dressed like a hundred years ago. With that, her dress is very normal/average today.

Having met her, I am certain it is not about sales. All I have to say is that she is one of the finest nicest young ladies in the world. Very respectful of others. A true gem of a person.... and man can she pick a mandolin!!

Per the video clip where members here are implying she is wearing a slip. Thats crazy. It's 100% a dress, that merely shows long legs and plenty of shoulder. Nothing more. Okay for the eyes of all family members, children and all.

More of the wonderfully and very talented Scarlett:

[chuckaluca]

[Django Fret]

Here are three of Molly Marlette with a mandolin.

[journeybear]

Today's headline reads: Santa Cruz Baroque Festival Presents Caterina Lichtenberg. In honor of that, here are a few pics from recent years:

1) Athens 2004: She may be playing a backpacker guitar; he is probably playing a bouzouki
2) Buenos Aires 2005: Just hanging out - how cool is this?
3) Chile 2005: with Carlos Perez
4) Santa Cruz Symposium 2007: with Mike Marshall
5) Santa Cruz Symposium 2007: with some of the usual suspects
6) Santa Cruz Symposium 2007

[JeffD]

I didn't know this until recently.

Kristin Kemper, violinist for the Minnesota Orchestra, also plays the mandolin. She plays a Baird, A4.

I first heard about her through her public work in raising awareness of Parkinson's disease.

[Django Fret]

I didn't know this until recently.

Kristin Kemper, violinist for the Minnesota Orchestra, also plays the mandolin. She plays a Baird, A4.

I first heard about her through her public work in raising awareness of Parkinson's disease.

There is even a picture of her with a nice background environment to play in.

[journeybear]

Leave it to Django Fret to track down these pics. And you're right - that would be a nice scene to wake up to and play in. My backyard is nice, but that's spectacular.

Here is Laura "Cool" Leder of Cool Mandolin Company, who apparently enjoys playing as well as promoting the instrument. Also the cover art for their compilation album, which makes me feel awfully proud somehow. When you go to their website, the whole album plays - a lot of good stuff in a range of genres. They have a program for kids too, which is very nice. Check it out!

And my backyard, which is inspirational in its own way

[mingusb1]

And I'll gaurantee that view from the deck is NOT Minnesota!

Z

[Mike Herlihy]

The Ingres Young Men of today, become the Bougereaus of Tomorrow.

Mick

Speaking of Ingres, here is a nice early painting of a mandolin playing woman that looks a lot like that Gibson Lyre mandolin at this site:

Just trying to figure out what chord she is playing here....[/QUOTE]

looks like a D7

[mrmando]

1) Athens 2004: She may be playing a backpacker guitar; he is probably playing a bouzouki

He is playing a bouzouki; she is playing a baglama or "pocket bouzouki." It looks like they're in one of the Athens shops that sells gifts and trinkets made from olive wood. There are, of course, several fine luthiers in Athens making high-quality instruments; there are also lots of cheap tourist-grade instruments in almost any gift shop you care to visit.

[journeybear]

Here are two recipients of Cool Mandolin Company's largesse and some other folks:

1) Anna Grace White
2) BreAnna from Bourbon County, Kentucky with Ron Mobley of the band, Kentucky Blue
3) Jessica Bliee from Hawaii - just a friend
4) Josée Labelle from Northern Ontario - I hope someone can explain what she's playing. They look like guitars without soundholes but they have eight strings, EQs too ...
5) Sierra Hull - well, some of you knew that She's here because she contributed a track to their compilation.
6) Laura Cool (Laura Leder) herself with Stan Jay of/at Mandolin Brothers. Why they are in a room with no mandolins on the wall baffles me. I like the resonator she's holding but can't identify it, nor the F model he's got.

[JEStanek]

I believe that resonator is one of the new Nationals. Very nice.

Jamie

[mrmando]

Photo 4: a pair of Godin A8s
Photo 6: Stan has a Collings

[journeybear]

I believe that resonator is one of the new Nationals. Very nice.

Photo 4: a pair of Godin A8s

You guys are the best! I thought it was a National but my resolution wouldn't allow me to confirm. How do the Godins sound? I've seen guitars like that - Chris Smithers' in particular, which is blue of course - and they sounded pretty good - plugged in ... but not mandolins.

[Wesley]

Unless they have moved that couch since the last time I was at Mandolin Bros that is the "high dollar" room as I call it. Just about everything in that room is on the pricy side.

[CES]

I hear the Godins sound great plugged in, and there was actually a recent thread about Allen Tailpieces substantially improving their unplugged tone, but they're designed (kind of like the Ovation concept to reduce feedback issues but without the alternative materials) to be acoustic/electrics primarily played plugged in.

Maybe some owners will chime in...all of their comparable guitars I've played sounded awesome plugged and good unplugged, just more quiet...

[Mike Herlihy]

I believe that resonator is one of the new Nationals. Very nice.

Jamie

Yessir, that is correct. Looks exactly like mine. Great mando for Blues, Old-time and Rock. It has an excellent tone. I do not know if I would show up for a bluegrass jam with one...

[jefflester]

Unless they have moved that couch since the last time I was at Mandolin Bros that is the "high dollar" room as I call it. Just about everything in that room is on the pricy side.

And there are mandolins on the wall opposite from where they are sitting. Or at least there were when I was there several years ago.

[journeybear]

And there are mandolins on the wall opposite from where they are sitting. Or at least there were when I was there several years ago.

Well, from what I've seen on the website everything in the STORE is on the pricy side