Joan Jett Learned Guitar From Zeppelin and Sabbath

Joan Jett’s reputation as the “Godmother of Punk” didn’t come from following a typical path. Long before she became known for hits like “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” or helped launch the groundbreaking all-female band The Runaways, she was simply a young musician trying to figure out how to play guitar. What she found early on was resistance—from teachers, expectations, and the stereotypes surrounding women in rock music.

In a conversation on the Music Makes Us podcast with Kathleen Hanna, Jett recalled how quickly she realized that traditional instruction wasn’t going to work for her. A guitar teacher told her she should stick to folk music on an acoustic instrument, suggesting that rock guitar wasn’t appropriate. Instead of accepting those limits, she walked away after just one lesson.

That moment pushed her toward a completely different way of learning. Rather than following a formal method, Jett began teaching herself by playing along with records from bands she loved. Those albums—especially from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath—became her real classroom.

Walking Away From the Only Guitar Lesson

Jett’s short-lived experience with a guitar teacher shaped how she approached music from the start. The teacher insisted that she should only play folk music on an acoustic guitar and discouraged her from pursuing rock. For a young musician already fascinated with electric guitar, the advice felt more like a barrier than guidance.

Instead of trying to fit into that mold, Jett chose to leave after that single lesson. She later described the decision simply: she took the lesson, realized it wasn’t what she wanted, and never went back. In many ways, that refusal to accept limitations became a pattern in her career.

The experience also exposed the cultural expectations surrounding women and rock music at the time. While girls were encouraged to play classical instruments in school orchestras, rock and roll was treated differently. As Jett later explained, the issue wasn’t ability—it was that girls weren’t expected to participate in that world socially.

Learning Guitar From Rock Records

With formal lessons behind her, Jett turned to the music she loved. Instead of scales or instruction books, she spent hours playing along with records in her room. Albums by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, T. Rex, and David Bowie became the tools she used to teach herself rhythm, riffs, and timing.

That method of learning by ear has shaped many rock musicians over the decades, but for Jett it also meant independence. She wasn’t being told how rock guitar “should” sound. Instead, she absorbed the energy and attitude of the music directly from the records themselves.

Listening closely and trying to match what she heard allowed her to build the rhythm-driven playing style that later defined her music. By the time she began performing with The Runaways in the mid-1970s, Jett had already developed a straightforward, powerful approach that owed more to those records than any formal training.

Family Support and the Road Ahead

Although her teacher discouraged her, Jett’s parents supported her early interest in music. When she told them she wanted to play electric guitar and start a rock band, they listened—even if they didn’t fully understand the scene she was entering.

Her parents eventually bought her a Sears Silvertone guitar for Christmas, the same type of beginner instrument that many future musicians started with. With that guitar in hand, Jett began rehearsing with bands and developing the sound that would later define her career.

Her mother often drove her to rehearsals and gigs, while her father quietly supported her in his own way. Years later, Jett discovered that he had been attending Runaways shows from the back of clubs, watching the band perform even though she believed he disapproved. That quiet support, combined with her determination, helped set the stage for everything that followed—from The Runaways to her solo success and the founding of Blackheart Records.