Created at the start of 2024, The Witney Guitar Club is proving to be very popular attracting male members to be part of the group. The Club brings men together in a fun, supportive environment where they can meet and make new friends whilst playing together, sharing and improving their guitar skills and singing too. They Witney Guitar Club does not offer guitar lessons but rather it provides an opportunity for guitar players of mixed playing abilities to come together.
The Witney Guitar Club was established by Brian Conroy who tells us more: “People have asked me ‘Why Only Men?’ Currently we run two choirs with a total of 120 singers coming together each week and most of those choir members are women. We try our best to recruit men to our choirs but it’s always a struggle. However, I’m delighted to see men are keen to join a guitar group! I believe men's groups are a valuable source of personal development and they help to counteract the isolation some men experience. Male friendships are a critical component of overall health and happiness for all men, despite social pressures to maintain a stoic attitude. Developing and maintaining male friendships can help lower stress, improve overall health, and strengthen emotional intelligence. It gives a sense of community, connection, and can go a long way to lowering stress levels. In person, face to face, contact is more important now than ever. Although it is a guitar group, some people have said they also play ukulele, mandolin & others and it would be great to have a blend of instruments with the guitars.”
If you can play a guitar and are aged 18 or over, The Witney Guitar Club welcomes members who should at least know how to tune up their guitar and play some chords, even if it is just the basic ones. There will be songs with strumming/fingerpicking, and lead intro/breaks but not all players will be expected to be able to do everything. The group is for acoustic guitarists. However, those who have said they also play bass will probably need to plug in (unless they have an acoustic bass).
The Witney Guitar Club currently runs two groups. The Wednesday group is the ‘performing’ group focusing intensively on perfecting songs, including chords, lead riffs, strumming, and singing harmonies. It's a deep dive into musical intricacies and they already have performances under our belts! The Tuesday group tackles similar material but in a more relaxed, laid-back, social setting, emphasizing fun over depth. To prevent overwhelming newcomers, trial sessions in the Tuesday group are available, followed by discussions about potential transitions into the Wednesday group.
Do you have to sing?
The aim of the group is to play and sing together. Not everyone is a confident singer – but that’s OK! It would be great if you could have a go (but they don’t wish to push people out of their comfort zone!) (it’s very important that the Wednesday session members are happy to sing – Tuesday members, not so).
Do you have to provide/read music?
No – Song-sheets will be provided for each song, with chord charts. There is some tablature for those that use it. They aim to avoid the tired old songs that every guitarist up and down the country always plays. Their first songs were – ‘Waitin’ on a Sunny Day’ (Springsteen), ‘No Hard Feelings’ (Avett Brothers), ‘Louisiana Saturday Night’ (various) ‘Have you ever seen the rain’ (Rod Stewart/various). They also work on their own version of the songs, so not trying to replicate the original versions.
If you are interested in going along, The Guitar Club currently meets in Henry Box School in Witney from 7.30pm until 9pm. Sessions are organised in blocks of ten at a time running between January/March, April/July, September/December. Members are only asked to sign up for one 10-week block at a time. Dates for the Autumn start 17 September through to 3 December (10 week term – no sessions on 22or 29 October).
Each session costs £8 so £80 per full term of 10 weeks) For those unable to pay the total amount up front, you can arrange payment in instalments. New members may join for 2 trial sessions (£16) before deciding whether join the group. To arrange a trial session please email Brian at info@woapa.co.uk.
They have a YouTube channel so you can hear a recording of their initial sessions there - youtube.com/@witneyguitarclub/videos
