In a recent survey by guitar giant Fender, it was revealed that 50% of beginner guitarists are female. This is the highest percentage ever and a lot more than it was a generation ago. It therefore stands to reason that within the next 10-20 years, listing the top 10 female guitarists ever will be a far more difficult task than it is today.
I won’t be counting down the greatest female guitar players in order; instead, I’ll be splitting them into three categories - technical, songwriting, and born to play a guitar! Unusual, I know, but why not have a little fun with the subject?
So let’s get straight to it with the…
Best Female Technical Guitarists
Here are the players who instantly come to mind for this category…
Nita Strauss
The majority of bands are made up of players in a particular area. A singer/drummer/or whoever puts an ad in a local music shop and then selects the most suitable applicants, and that group of musicians goes on to become one of your favorite bands.
But imagine you’re not restricted to your town or even state, you have the whole world to choose from. Many legendary singers are in that enviable position and can choose the best of the best from anywhere, singers such as Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, and Meatloaf.
Alice Cooper, in particular, is renowned for having one of the best touring bands on earth, and for guitar duties, he currently uses the skills of his long-time sideman Ryan Roxy,
Tommy Henriksen and the Queen of Flash, Nita Strauss.
Nita is a descendant of composer Johann Strauss, was the first woman to become a signature artist with Ibanez guitars, and has been regularly featured on the covers of magazines such as Guitar World and Guitar Player. She was also ranked in the No.1 spot by Guitar World in its list of the "10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know".
Jennifer Batten
Next, we have one of Nita Strauss’s major influences, the original female shredder, Jennifer Batten.
She began playing guitar at the age of eight, inspired by the music of the Beatles, B.B. King, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Jeff Beck. Then went on to attend one of the world's most famous music schools, the Guitar Institute of Technology in 1978, where she began to experiment with two-handed tapping.
In terms of accolades, Batten played on three of Michael Jackson's world tours - Bad (1987–1989), Dangerous (1992), and HIStory (1996–1997). She was also part of his 1993 Super Bowl halftime show - the largest live music broadcast ever, watched by over 1.3 billion people in 86 countries.
She then went on to play with one of her major influences, Jeff Beck, on Who Else! (1999) and You Had It Coming (2001). As well as numerous other high-profile sessions for various musicians.
From one two-handed tapper to another who has taken the technique to a completely different level…
Yvette Young
Who needs a pick when your technique is this flawless? Yvette Young most certainly doesn’t. Her incredible abilities are a joy to watch and listen to.
She plays the guitar like a pianist, creating beautiful, complex textures that take you on a musical adventure from the rigidity of math rock to the sonic wonderlands of post-rock with some jazzy flourishes and weird time signatures thrown in for good measure.
Orianthi
Orianthi Panagaris is renowned for her virtuosic rock, pop, and blues guitar skills, gaining global recognition after being chosen as Michael Jackson’s lead guitarist for the planned 2009 This Is It tour. However, the tour never happened due to the singer's passing.
Nonetheless, Orinathi’s status as a rock music powerhouse went from strength to strength, from success with her self-penned releases to collaborations with Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Steve Vai, Jon Bon Jovi, and many, many more.
A slight change of direction as we move from rock shredders and tappers to the Queen of Blues Slide Guitar…
Bonnie Raitt
Blues guitar playing may not have the flash of rock, but it requires heart and soul, something Bonnie Raitt has by the bucketload.
She might not be in the same technical league as Yvette Young, but her fantastic slide work ranked her at No. 89 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time. It also led to her being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the year 2000.
But there’s a lot more to playing guitar than sheer technique, so let’s take a look at the…
Best Female Songwriting Guitarists
These are players who let the music, not their guitar skills, do the talking. That said, they are more than capable of playing the instrument to a very high level. Let’s start with bluegrass legend…
Gillian Welch
There are very few artists whose music can change the feel of a room in a few seconds. If you’re not familiar with Gillian Welch, then sit back and play the YouTube video below, the song will floor you.
She normally records and performs with David Rawlings, just two guitars and two voices, but the result is something very special indeed. Unusually, the pair don’t sing harmonies or backing vocals, but sing the same words, at the same time, and, very unusually, at the same pitch. This produces a combined vocal sound which is full, emotional, and hits the listener for six.
As for guitar playing, David Rawlings is easily one of the most underrated guitarists on earth - his style, taste, and feel are pure magic. However, what really takes things to the next level is what Gillian Welch is playing behind him; both guitars intertwine as effortlessly as their voices.
From bluegrass to folk, next we have…
Joni Mitchell
What can I possibly say about Joni Mitchell that hasn’t already been written? Nothing. Her innovative use of alternate tunings and unique vocal style was instrumental in popularising the 60s and 70s folk movement. Much like Gillian Welch, just listen to any of her songs, simply breathtaking!
And finally, we have the most contentious category…
Born to Play a Guitar
These are players who are at the forefront of making the guitar an instrument that girls now want to learn - they just look right with a guitar around their neck.
I’m sure that some readers might consider this as not exactly politically correct, but in my defense, there are certain male guitarists who make the guitar look cooler when they wear one than the rest of us - Jimmy Page, Slash, and Zack Wylde (in his Ozzy days) all come to mind. So, I’ll be doing the same for female guitarists.
One quick disclaimer: Taylor Swift is probably the biggest single contributor to the upsurge in girls learning the guitar; however, she won’t be included because, well, ugh… I think you know why. Now that’s all covered, let’s move on to…
PJ Harvey
I start by admitting that PJ Harvey's 1995 album To Bring You My Love is one of my all-time favorites, so it’s no surprise that she’s on this list. I also think that she carries a guitar as well as, if not better than, any other woman on earth.
Polly Jean has become a musical force to be reckoned with due to her ability to effortlessly mix elements of alternative rock, punk blues, and art rock, with electronica. With her highly distinctive voice, emotional performances, and the constant need to experiment with different sounds and aesthetics, she’s produced some of the most thought-provoking music of the past 35 years.
St. Vincent/Anne Erin Clark
St. Vincent’s melodic guitar style has led to her being featured in most of the lists of the best guitarists of the 21st century. In fact, Rolling Stone named her the 26th-greatest guitarist of all time in its 2023 poll.
She released her first signature guitar with Ernie Ball in 2016, the St. Vincent HHH. It featured three mini-humbuckers in a signature Vincent Blue finish, as well as in Black.
Five years later, a second signature model was released, the St. Vincent Goldie, featuring three gold foil mini-humbucker pickups, a redesigned pickguard, a reverse matching finish headstock, stainless steel frets, and a roasted maple neck. Unusually for a signature guitar, it has been used by a wide variety of other guitarists, from Jack White to Tom Morello, to Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis.
Before we come to an end, let’s go all the way back to the beginning, with the woman who started it all, The Godmother of Rock & Roll…
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
The ‘original soul sister’ was the first major recording star of gospel music and was among the pioneers who broadened its appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences.
She rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s with her inspirational gospel recordings, but later became famous for her unique mix of spiritual lyrics and often heavily distorted electric guitar.
Her legacy is without question, with legends such as Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bob Dylan all stating that she was a major influence.
Her innovative guitar technique was highly influential on the development of the 1960s British blues scene. In 1964, she toured Europe with Muddy Waters, and some of the guitar greats who witnessed her phenomenal performances included Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards.
Other Notable Female Guitarists who nearly made the Top 10
Nancy Wilson from Heart
Wendy Melvoin from Prince and the Revolution, and Wendy and Lisa
Yasmin Williams
Emily Remler
Murial Andersen
Gretchen Menn
Kaki King
Wrapping it Up!
So, there you have it, the 10 Top Female Guitarists of all time in my humble opinion. I hope you agree with most of my choices and that I might have highlighted a few guitarists that you may not be aware of.
To all our female readers, practice, practice, practice, get yourself into a great band, write some memorable songs, and with a lot of hard work and a bit of luck, you might find yourself on this list in years to come!
