The Girls' Guide to Rocking: How to Start a Band, Book Gigs, and Get Rolling to Rock Stardom [Paperback]

Jessica Hopper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2009

From greats like Patti Smith and Joan Jett to legends-in-the-making like Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato, girls want to rock. They want to start bands, write songs, get up on stage, and kick out the jams. Here's the book to teach them how. Written by an obsessive music lover who's spent her life playing, performing, publicizing, and writing about rock 'n' roll, The Girls' Guide To Rocking is a hip, inspirational guide for rad girls who want to make their rock dreams come true.

It's everything a rocking girl needs to know: how to choose the right instrument for you, where to shop for instruments and where to avoid. How to get your band together and keep it together—tips on playing in a band with your friends and staying friends. How to turn your bedroom into a soundproof practice space. Giving your band the right name, plus a cautionary glossary of overused words (Wolf, Star, Crystal, Earth, etc.). How to set-up and promote your own shows. The freedom of going solo, and how to handle performing alone in the spotlight. Songwriting tips, with eight prompts to get the lyrics flowing. The ins and outs of recording, whether at home or in a studio. Taking care of business: publicizing your band, making T-shirts, legalese and the creative personality, and the four signs that say "time to hire a manager"—in other words, you've arrived.

Includes a girls-in-rock timeline, essential listening lists, and quotes from the greats: Nina Simone, Hayley Williams, Gwen Stefani, Carrie Brownstein, Amy Lee, Kim Gordon, and more. Now get out there and rule the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This highly informational and inspiring do-it-yourself resource will guide girls toward their rocker dreams. It will also appeal to the young-at-heart who dream of being a rock star and readers and researchers of girl culture. —Elizabeth M. Wavle, Elmira College Library, NY
(Library Journal)

Review

"Jessica Hopper is smart, sassy, and knows what she’s talking about. The Girls' Guide to Rocking is like a good song—catchy, fun, and insightful. May a thousand new bands be launched by this book." –Karla Schickele, Founder & Executive Director, Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (June 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761151419
• ISBN-13: 978-0761151418
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for teens & pre-teens! June 15, 2009

By Robin Harris

Format:Paperback

Your book is amazing. I think you should talk to the publisher about doing another run with a different cover that shows a stressed out, slightly overweight mid-30s mom with a dated outfit and a toddler on her hip. It makes me want to start a band! I can play my 2 year old son's miniature instruments. Really, really outstanding. My own mom was also very impressed. She flipped through it and said, "wow, there's a lot of words in here!" Oh, moms.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, inspiring, brilliant, and beyond thorough. July 5, 2009

By J. Hiller

Format:Paperback

Hopper's book is beyond essential for anyone (young or older, girl/woman or boy/man) who is even remotely interested in picking up an instrument, starting a band, writing a song, playing shows, self-promoting, purchasing equipment or any myriad of other rockish-related endeavors. Not only is THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO ROCKING brilliantly organized, it effortlessly tackles what is a broad subject thoroughly and in great, great detail--without being mired in non-essential minutia. Hopper's voice is, as always, hilarious, conversational and encouraging, and she does what so few books geared towards teens do--SHE SPEAKS TO THE READER WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE READER IS SMART, CAPABLE AND CREATIVE. Nothing is dumbed down, yet nothing is assumed so that no question or concept appears to be too "beginner".

We all start from somewhere, and Hopper takes great pains to reiterate that, no matter whether or not you have ever even seen a photo of a guitar before, you can do this. You can be creative. You can throw yourself into writing an entire concept album about pandas on the run from an alien monster named Rocko, and you can teach yourself how to execute said album via playing your grandma's untuned mandolin with a spoon, and you can record it on your cell phone if you want to, and you know what? That is productive and creative, and nobody should tell you that your concept album sucks, because you made it, and it's great.

There is technical info in here that I, a 30 year-old woman who has been in the business for half my life (I started booking shows and playing in bands and making a fanzine when I was around fifteen), didn't know. I learned about various pedals whose uses had previously been a mystery to me, and about different four tracks, and how to clean a drum kit.... I read inspiring quotes from female musicians from Joan Jett to Etta James. I learned about a few different ways to soundproof a room.

From sample letters on how to pitch your band to the press to ideas about how to start brainstorming a song, Hopper truly, truly covers everything in a way that I have honestly never, EVER seen in any book for kids, teens or adults. Not only that, she does it in a ridiculously entertaining, inspiring, easy-to-understand way that makes the business of making music sound like what it should be: something really, really fun that ANYONE can do, regardless of their existing skill set or experience. If you have the heart or the desire, you can start learning how to play an instrument and you can form a band TODAY. Like, this afternoon. And you should never, ever let anyone tell you any differently, intimidate you, or make you feel negatively about what you are doing and what you're trying to learn.

AN ESSENTIAL READ. THE END. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to Rocking for Everyone! June 16, 2009

By James R. Nelson

Format:Paperback

This book is the jam! It's a funny, bold and totally sweet guide on how to start your own band. It covers everything from buying your own instruments to writing lyrics and songs and going on tour to bring your genius to the people! There are even lists of the best records to buy to get yourself inspired. How cool is that?!? Put down Rock Band 2 and pick up this book, and the world of rocking will be yours. In 10 years, the best bands in America will have been taught by this book. Guaranteed!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Where was this book when I was 13?! June 16, 2009

By K. Rose

Format:Paperback

I loved this book. It in an excellent guide for young girls and answers all of the questions they might have and gives them the confidence to follow their musical ambitions. When I was starting my first all-girl band as a young teenager, I always felt like the boys I knew had this basic knowledge of how to book shows for their bands, play musical instruments, record their own music, etc. I longed for a resource like this book and think that future generations of young female musicians will benefit greatly because of it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too June 20, 2009

By TeensReadToo

Format:Paperback

First of all, THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO ROCKING isn't just for girls. Its target audience might be girls who are interested in starting a band, but there's so much great information in this book that it's a useful tool for anyone who wants to make music. In fact, if you have to buy a gift for a guy who rocks, I'd almost suggest that you get this book and use a piece of electrical tape to cover up the word GIRLS' on the cover. Explain away the duct tape by saying the book is punk or distressed or something. The only other way he can tell this book was written for girls is that the rock star quotes are from women, but no one should complain about getting rock career advice from the likes of Patti Smith and Amy Lee.

THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO ROCKING is packed from cover to cover with everything a budding rock star needs to know. It starts with instruments, including which ones are most commonly associated with rock bands, brands available, finding a teacher, and much more. There's a chapter on putting a band together, keeping it together, rehearsals, and even how to come up with a catchy name. Technical information about writing songs and recording music is provided for more advanced readers who are looking to take the next steps in fulfilling their rock dreams.

The book even includes an appendix about how to use the recording software GarageBand. There is also a whole chapter on finding and booking gigs, which includes cheap, creative ideas for making posters and band merchandise.

This comprehensive guide has something to offer a wide variety of musicians, regardless of their goals. Beginners who just want to buy a second-hand guitar and pick out a few chords will get tips for where and how to find decent used equipment.... If you want to get some friends together to start a garage band, you will find tips for helping make that a fun process for everyone involved. For those who have their hearts set on full-scale rock stardom, this book can be used as a how-to guide for everything from writing music to signing a contract with a record company.

The book has a funny, down-to-earth tone that makes it easy and enjoyable to read. In addition, its focus on female musicians is empowering to girls who want to break into an industry dominated by men.

I highly recommend THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO ROCKING for both musicians and the people who love them. Girls who are looking for information about making their own music should definitely check out this book. Parents or grandparents have finally found a cool gift for the music-minded girl in their lives. And one of the best things about the book is that even non-musicians can enjoy it. Not being a musician myself, I learned a tremendous amount about instruments, bands, songwriting, and recording.

After reading this book, I was even able to have a rational conversation with my 16-year-old guitar player son about drum kits and the music he was recording. Any book that can help me do that rocks!

Reviewed by: K. Osborn Sullivan Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars hands-on tips for teenagers (PS it's also relevant for boys!) November 1, 2009

By Paul Allaer TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

My daughter (who's a college student these days) was in several bands throughout her HS days. I like to think that I passed on my passion for music to her. So when I heard an (entertaining) interview on NPR not too long ago with the author of this book, I decided to check it out, for no reason other than to see how she would explain this all. (In the interview, the author readily admitted that even though the book is geared towards teenage girls, much of it would euqlly apply to boys, safe perhaps the "woman empowerment" theme that runs throught the book.

In "The Girls' Guide to Rocking: How To Start a Band, Book Gigs, And Get Rolling to Rock Stardom" (238 pages), author Jessica Hopper (herself a musician, among other things) brings a boatload of practical tips on how to get started, and I mean starting from scratch. How to pick out and find an instrument ("I bought my first guitar when I was fifteen. I found it by calling around stores and asking for the cheapest guitar they carried.") Whether music lessons make sense and are worth the money ("I sat in a basement for haf an hout watching a very frustrated ancient dude try to teach me the lamest classic rock beginner tune of all times 'Smoke on the Water', a song I didn't know and didn't want to know, from an era of music I hated. I never bothered with my third lesson.") How to land a gig ("When you go see bands, introduce yourself and say you have a band and that you think you'd be good on a bill with them.) And on and on. Tons of hands-on tips.

The overbearing theme of the book is that when you start a band, you main thing is to have some fun. WIthout it, there is no point to it. The latter part of the book takes things a bit more up-level (such as what to do when a label expresses interest in your band (get a good lawyer!).... Overall, I found this very enjoyable reading. My daughter did a lot of the things that the author talks about here, scored some local gigs, issued a couple of EPs, got a band website, etc. It seemed to me she had a lot of fun doing during those HS days, even if it never lead to "rock stardom" (not that that was the main goal anyway). Read more ›