Marin Music Jam!

This is a meet up group for people to gather, play music and sing in a fun, social environment. 

Marin Music Jam! is open to all levels of players and all types of instruments, including vocalists. The group was formerly the ‘Marin Acoustic Guitar Group’ so we tend to be guitar heavy, but we've changed our name to accommodate violin, mandolin, flute, bongo and other players who attend our meet ups. Electric guitars/amped instruments with small amps are also welcome at many of our events.  At John's and Kevin's house a keyboard is available to play.

We have a tradition of holding a monthly acoustic jam which usually entails 8-12 musicians sharing songs, food and drinks in the house of one of our members. We hold other sessions on a semi-regular basis, which include genre specific nights, open mics and other formats. For example, past events have included an holiday open mic party, 80s night, a Tom Petty Tribute night and an evening with The Beatles.  We play everything from the old Folk and Rock songs of the 60's (and before) to today's pop tunes.  We are also planning to set up an annual live event where members can have the opportunity to play in a live venue.

Our group tends to be primarily intermediate players but the format enables beginners to feel welcome and is a great opportunity to learn fast. Expert and professional players have also been known to drop in regularly. 

We strive to make our events as fun as possible with very little emphasis on getting your music right and a ton of emphasis on enjoying the evening and each other’s company. Since we often have 8 or more people playing together, the song choices tend to be (relatively) easy and composed of well-known rock, folk and pop classics - although other genres are often weaved in as well. 

Within the group you will also find numerous other opportunities as we have members who attend lessons together, others are preparing for open mics or other performances and some hold private jam sessions focusing on specific interests. 

Gatherings usually have 8-12 players and we usually meet on a Friday night.  Bring copies of your favorite song sheets to share with the group to play. All kinds of instruments - guitar, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, steel guitar, bass guitar, violin, autoharp and electric versions of all have been known to show up. We sometimes have an electric bass player or a drummer which adds to the groove of the songs.   Just a great time to be had playing music with musical friends.  All in all, we strive to be a great Bay Area meet up for people who want to enjoy playing music with each other.