Gender trends

[Marduk]

So, like so many other problems in society, this boils down to a problem of definition.

[Katya]

So, like so many other problems in society, this boils down to a problem of definition.

Or lack of a control group.

[Dragon Lady]

I just want it to be noted that Yellow is an excellent pianist. Sadly, he does not have the time to practice as much as he'd like.

[Tao]

So, like so many other problems in society, this boils down to a problem of definition.

That which falls into the realm of reason is quickly resolved. It is the unthought that reason hasn't considered that remains quarrelsome.

[Katya]

I just want it to be noted that Yellow is an excellent pianist. Sadly, he does not have the time to practice as much as he'd like.

Because he didn't major in music. Because he didn't think it would lead to a career that could support a family. Gender roles strike again! (Are there more female music majors at BYU?)

[thebigcheese]

That would be interesting, actually -- the number of male art majors, music majors, MFHD majors...anything that leads to living in a box.

(One of my favorite BYU jokes: What does HFAC stand for? It's the "Hamburger Flippers After College" building.)

[vorpal blade]

It was pointed out to me, by someone who plays the piano, that playing really well at the concert pianist level requires a great deal of strength in the fingers and in the shoulders for good dynamic range. Some of the difficult pieces also require large hands to spread your fingers wide enough. These factors would tend to give the advantage to the male pianist.

[Tao]

(One of my favorite BYU jokes: What does HFAC stand for? It's the "Hamburger Flippers After College" building.)

Heh, deep in the depths of the HFAC we lovingly called it the House of Fruits And Cuties.

[Katya]

It was pointed out to me, by someone who plays the piano, that playing really well at the concert pianist level requires a great deal of strength in the fingers and in the shoulders for good dynamic range. Some of the difficult pieces also require large hands to spread your fingers wide enough. These factors would tend to give the advantage to the male pianist.

I'd be curious to know if that hypothesis holds up in blind auditions. (I.e., if a disproportionate number of male pianists are hired even when the listeners didn't know if they were male or female.)

[Emiliana]

It was pointed out to me, by someone who plays the piano, that playing really well at the concert pianist level requires a great deal of strength in the fingers and in the shoulders for good dynamic range. Some of the difficult pieces also require large hands to spread your fingers wide enough. These factors would tend to give the advantage to the male pianist.

But having thin fingers is an advantage when playing high notes on a violin, which might give female violinists an advantage.

[Katya]

It was pointed out to me, by someone who plays the piano, that playing really well at the concert pianist level requires a great deal of strength in the fingers and in the shoulders for good dynamic range. Some of the difficult pieces also require large hands to spread your fingers wide enough. These factors would tend to give the advantage to the male pianist.

But having thin fingers is an advantage when playing high notes on a violin, which might give female violinists an advantage.

Ditto for flautists, I would think.

[Cindy]

Male flautists have a lung capacity advantage, though. My flute teacher said that's why the most famous flautists -- Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, etc. -- are male.

[Dragon Lady]

I just want it to be noted that Yellow is an excellent pianist. Sadly, he does not have the time to practice as much as he'd like.

Because he didn't major in music. Because he didn't think it would lead to a career that could support a family. Gender roles strike again! (Are there more female music majors at BYU?)

True. He was accepted to the Piano Performance major, but decided he didn't want to have to travel so much to support a family and he loved computers just as much as he loved piano, so he switched. I keep telling him he should at least make one album to sell. Just so he can keep up his piano and earn a little money on the side.

[Katya]

Male flautists have a lung capacity advantage, though. My flute teacher said that's why the most famous flautists -- Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, etc. -- are male.

Do they? Huh. I wouldn't have thought that lung capacity would make a big difference for such a small instrument. (Now for the tuba, on the other hand . . .)

[Yarjka]

Male flautists have a lung capacity advantage, though. My flute teacher said that's why the most famous flautists -- Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, etc. -- are male.

Do they? Huh. I wouldn't have thought that lung capacity would make a big difference for such a small instrument. (Now for the tuba, on the other hand . . .)

Yes, but the flute is quite unique in that most of your air doesn't actually go into the instrument. This requires huge lung capacity, especially for trills and runs.

[Katya]

Male flautists have a lung capacity advantage, though. My flute teacher said that's why the most famous flautists -- Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway, etc. -- are male.

Do they? Huh. I wouldn't have thought that lung capacity would make a big difference for such a small instrument. (Now for the tuba, on the other hand . . .)

Yes, but the flute is quite unique in that most of your air doesn't actually go into the instrument. This requires huge lung capacity, especially for trills and runs.

Ohh, because you're blowing across it, not into it?

[Whistler]

It was pointed out to me, by someone who plays the piano, that playing really well at the concert pianist level requires a great deal of strength in the fingers and in the shoulders for good dynamic range. Some of the difficult pieces also require large hands to spread your fingers wide enough. These factors would tend to give the advantage to the male pianist.

But having thin fingers is an advantage when playing high notes on a violin, which might give female violinists an advantage.

Ditto for flautists, I would think.

not really... thin fingers close the keys just as well as fat ones.

[Katya]

But having thin fingers is an advantage when playing high notes on a violin, which might give female violinists an advantage.

Ditto for flautists, I would think.

not really... thin fingers close the keys just as well as fat ones.

Not if they're so fat you can't fit them close enough together to close all of the keys (although that might be improbably fat).

[ahem.]

Don't flutes have holes in the keys that need to be covered to play properly? (Student flutes have plugs to help close the keys, right? And professional ones have open holes on the keys?) Wouldn't bigger hands be useful for that? Or is that not a thing?

[Cindy]

Yes. I've got skinny fingers, so I have a hard time covering the holes on my flute. I have to keep one of the plugs in, since I physically can't cover that hole while keeping my fingers on the other keys. I also have a hard time with the lowest notes, where you need to put your pinky finger on side keys that are hard for me to reach. I do have very small hands, though, and I don't know that this is a problem for most female flautists.