The New Jersey Classical Guitar Society is an informal association of guitar enthusiasts who gather together to play for one another. Currently, we are holding both an in-person meeting and a Zoom meeting in most months. In-person meetings are held in various locations in northern and central New Jersey, mostly in members homes. For more information, please read the FAQ below.

Mission Statement

The mission of the New Jersey Classical Guitar Society is to:

1. Provide performance and social opportunities for amateur classical guitarists through our monthly meetings.
2. Help people interested in classical guitar in or near New Jersey connect with each other through our web site, newsletter, e-mail list, and social media.
3. Bring classical guitar to the larger community through unpaid member performances in institutions and public venues.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I join or get involved?

Joining is just a matter of being on the e-mail list. If you are interested, just send your name and e-mail address to njguitarsociety@yahoo.com. You then will receive meeting announcements and directions, our newsletter, and other guitar related messages. That is it. No dues. There is no formal organizational structure. Anything we do happens only because someone has volunteered to do it. If you think we should be doing something else, you can volunteer to do it.

2. What happens at meetings?

We just socialize and take turns playing. The host provides light snacks and other members occasionally contribute something to eat or drink.

3. Are there any requirements for performers or performances?

Mainly just courtesy and common sense. Some of our members are quite advanced, but anyone is welcome to play regardless of ability. You’re welcome to play even if you’re not a “member” (i.e. you’re not on our mailing list). Other instruments or vocals in combination with classical guitar also are welcome. Unless attendance is very light, we ask you to limit your performance to 20 minutes at a time (including any time you need for setting up and tuning) until everyone has had a turn. If you would like to play something longer, please let us know in advance and we will feature your performance after everyone else has finished.

We want to offer a supportive performance environment, so criticism should not be offered unless the performer requests it. If a performer does want feedback or other discussion of his or her performance, please keep it within the 20 minute time slot.

When you plan to attend a meeting, please send an RSVP e-mail as soon as you can. We understand that attendance decisions sometimes must be made at the last minute, but giving our hosts advance notice of how many people to expect is very helpful and the courtesy is appreciated.

We try to have a printed or PDF program for every meeting in order to make it easier for everyone to know who’s who and what they’re playing. So, when you’re coming to a meeting, please send us an e-mail (njguitarsociety@yahoo.com) listing the pieces you plan on performing (your name, title of piece and composer/arranger) as soon as you can and no later than noon on the day of the meeting. The program is flexible. You are not bound or limited to what you tell us in advance, and you certainly should not refrain from coming to the meeting if, for any reason, you have not been able to send in the information.

4. Can I come to meetings if I do not play?

Sure, anyone is welcome to just listen. Space may be limited, however, so please contact us in advance to make sure there is enough room if you are planning on bringing more people than can fit in one standard-sized car.

5. Will you feature me in your festival  or concert series?

No, sorry, we do not have a festival or concert series, and do not present paid professional performances. Occasionally, a volunteer has organized a concert in which members may participate.

6. Can you help publicize what I am doing?

Sure, just send your guitar related announcements to njguitarsociety@yahoo.com. We may post your information on our web site, include it in our newsletter, or perhaps forward your message to our mailing list.  You might also take advantage of our Facebook page (see below) for self-promotion of relevant activities.

  Concert and event announcements ideally should be received by the end of the month before the month in which the concert or event occurs. It is preferable to have the essential information in a text  format with a separate photo or graphic. We usually publicize only concerts or events in or near New Jersey, but may make exceptions for events in other places that have sufficient national or global significance to be of interest in people in New Jersey. Aside from concerts, we usually do not forward or post commercial messages, but if you have an interesting web site we can link to it on our Guitar Links Page.

7. What About Zoom Meetings?

Zoom meetings started in 2020 when Covid 19 prevented us from meeting in person. At the height of the pandemic, we had meetings twice a month with many performers. Now that in-person meetings have resumed, Zoom meeting usually are held once per month. The focus is on helping members keep in touch with each other, conversation, sharing information, and reaching out to members who are unable to attend in-person meetings. Anyone from anywhere is welcome to play, join in the conversation, or just listen.

Performances at Zoom meetings can be either live or by video. Video performances are shared by sending a YouTube link to the host for sharing at the meeting.

If you want to perform live, adjusting your Zoom settings to enable “Original Sound for Musicians” is strongly recommended. The default settings are intended for speech and result in a really awful sound when used with guitars. Go into “Settings” before the meeting to make the change. Once Original Sound for Musicians has been enabled, a button will appear on your screen, allowing you to turn it on and off during the meeting. Instructions can be found here (scroll down to Enable and configure original sound for musicians): https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0059985

8. What About FaceBook?

The purpose of the Facebook group is to promote NJCGS and to help people who are actively involved in classical guitar in or near New Jersey keep in touch with each other. We’re happy to hear from friends in other places on topics of general classical guitar interest, but please remember to keep the focus on New Jersey. Much as we respect guitarists in other places and wish them well, this is not the place to share performance videos by guitarists with no New Jersey connection, or promote concerts in far away locations. A one-time announcement of a current event, such as a conference, seminar, or publication would be welcome.