Having been a professional female musician for over ten years I have realized it's not only down to how well you can play your instrument it's also got a lot to do with what you look like! Men are dominant in the music industry in terms of performance, management and production, despite the increasing presence of women as performers and middle managers therefore have come to appreciate that it is important for me to be aware of how I am perceived by the people around me and what I can do to influence that perception.
The saxophone is an ambiguous instrument in terms of gender stereotypes. It is classed as a woodwind instrument, and woodwind instruments are gender stereotyped as being female. However, saxophones are commonly played by both sexes, with famous saxophonists being largely male. The saxophone is unlike other instruments, such as the guitar and the bass, in terms of the fact that it does not require a manly stance and is not strenuous on the fingers, unlike playing the guitar. Many female saxophonists, such as Candy Dulfer, play the lighter in weight and smaller in size alto and soprano saxophones. I differ from the norm as I play the heavier and perceived as more masculine tenor and baritone saxophones. This instrument choice has taken a physical toll, however, as I suffer from neck and back strains.
The instruments I choose to play were designed for the male physique - taller, heavier with broader shoulders. When reflecting on my choice of instrument I have come to realize that I consciously made the decision to be different from my female peers and enter into a male dominated world, facing its challenges head on. The semiology of the saxophone is linked to a curvy brass tube, which has more feminine connotations than male. However the size and the sometimes harsh sounds have male connotations. The sexiness of the instrument itself can be picked up by the image of both male and female players. It is important for the artist to match their persona with that of the instrument. The actual action of blowing to make the saxophone sound cannot be classed as a sexy, feminine look; the face contorts as the lips close on the mouthpiece. However, blowing, especially in the case of a female, can be associated with oral sex connotations.
Candy Dulfer has had a long successful career in the music industry as a solo instrumentalist; her first solo album was released in 1990. Compact disk insert pictures are evidence that Candy's attractive blonde female image was exploited and used for marketing purpose in the early stage of her popular music career. It is questionable whether she would have received the same exposure had she not had some of her physical attributes. Early photographic poses on CD inserts highlight and exploit long blonde hair, exposed long legs and chest cleavage. Later cover poses move to angelic, less sexual images, and ten years after the start of her career, with less youthful looks, Candy's appearance is deemphasized and then on her latest album cover her physical image does not appear at all.
As a female saxophone player in a function band, I have noticed that a large amount of people both men and women will approach me after a performance and comment on how much they love the saxophone and how they have always wanted to learn to play. I am positive that the reason many people wish to play this instrument is due to the sexiness of both the sound and the look of the instrument. I feel that I must try to live up to the persona of my instrument by looking good, having a good figure and dressing well, sometimes a little risky! It's always nice to know that I can my femininity if and when necessary by having it in my musician's toolkit!
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