NITA STRAUSS: 'I Just Try To Be The Best Guitar Player I Can Be'

Guitarra Viva recently conducted an interview with Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On being a female in the male-dominated music industry:

Nita: "You know, I try not to think too much about women guitarists versus men guitarists; the world does that for me. [Laughs] So, really, I just try to be the best guitar player I can be — not the best female guitar player, not the best 'X amount of years' guitar player, or whatever — just the best guitar player. I think there's definitely a different set of challenges that come with being a woman in the music world, but they're all great challenges, and I look forward to it the whole time."

On what advice she would give to young guitar players:

Nita: "I think my best advice for young guitar players is that it's not an easy road — definitely not; female guitar player or male guitar player, it's not an easy road at all. So definitely be prepared for challenges, be prepared for adversity, and just know that if you work hard enough, if you kick down every door and you're willing to be the best guitar player out there — not the best girl guitar player, not the best guitar player in your city, not the best guitar player in your country, but the best that you can be — the opportunity is there, so make sure you just go out there and get it. Don't get too bogged down in one style of music; be open to all different styles, all different types of guitar playing, and just be prepared. You see opportunity… Opportunity is like a window: every once in a while, it opens, if you're ready for that opportunity. So be prepared, work hard, and follow your dreams."

Strauss is a longtime Ibanez signature series endorsee who made her name with THE IRON MAIDENS, FEMME FATALE and LA Kiss.

Nita joined Cooper's band in 2014 as the replacement for Orianthi.