Guitarist Gergely Szabo has an Advanced Diploma in Music Performance from Cambrian College where he majored in the classical guitar. Over his time there, he completed 2 years of comprehensive pedagogy courses. He also gained well grounded vocal skills, as well as basic knowledge on the piano. Outside of classical music, he exhibits a repertoire of skills and knowledge in playing the genres of rock, blues, and heavy metal music. He has experience in teaching the guitar and the ukulele to a range of people aged 6 to 54.
Gergely’s teaching methods include both the use of books and digital methods. The three main books he uses to teach guitar are as follows: “Guitar Method Book 1 by Will Schmid and Greg Koch,” “Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests RCM Level 1,” and “Classical Guitar Repertoire and Etudes RCM Level 1.” For teaching ukulele, he uses the book “Ukulele Songs for 1, 2, or 3 players by Elizabeth Ragsdale.” Aside from these, he frequently uses the Muse Score application as a play-along practicing tool.
Gergely’s passion for music and his dedication to growing the love of music in others are the biggest reasons why he teaches guitar and ukulele. His approach to teaching involves learning through play. The material he covers with his students is always delivered in a way that is highly interactive. Most of the assigned exercises he gives involve the elements of play that students can enjoy both in class and as homework.
Get to know Gergely…Beyond the Bio!
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Latest Homework from Gergely
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Saturday, May 2nd
Jack
I got Jack started on Imperial March on the xylophone and started some basic keyboard notes identification with him. I had him learn the song through remembering patterns and the different locations. If interested in working on it on a piano at home, the score is uploaded to the drive folder. We will go through more of the song or perhaps try another simple melody.
Nova
We continued following the class structure of Stick Control into reading exercise into the song. Nova did a great job practising the assigned Stick Control exercises and doing it while keeping a beat on the kick drum. I would like them to go down the same page and work on the roll related exercises. As for the song, I would like them to work on the opening passage as well as the first triplet two bar passage that I bracketed. Be reminded of the hidden dynamic changes and to be musical. We will go to the more dense triplet section this coming class.
Jonah
We started working on orchestral excerpts today. We started one called Porgy and Bess and Jonah did a great job learning the first line. Both Barnaby and myself will like to encourage Jonah giving TSYO audition a try. We will listen to some of the reps in coming lesson and see Jonah is interested.
Thursday, April 30th
Josh
Josh clearly practised this past week and made this week’s lesson way more efficient. We were able to get into the pre chorus section, and especially looked at bar 33 and 34 together. I explained to him that it is quite similar to the second bar of the main pattern, but with a different fourth beat pickup. I explained the concept of three stroke ruff/drag and I would like him to follow the sticking notated for him. Our next focus is bar 36 where it matches the lyric “like to say to you but I dont know how”. Continue practising with the score, and also listen to song when needing clarification.
Aleksander
We worked on Bring Me to Life for another week playing with the song. Aleksander showed clear improvement with following the guitar riff, and was able to stay steady throughout. Now I would like him to pay attention to the details, for example the crash cymbal every other bar. Bar 65 seems to be a tricky bar to play, and I would like him to ghost the last 16th on the third beat and start on right hand for beat four. We will choose a new sing next week.
Noah
We worked on an exercise using Stick Control where bass drum is played on beat 1 and 3, hihat on 2 and 4, and the challenge is to stay steady while switching to different stickings. Practising this exercise will make working through Smooth Criminal a lot easier, as it will build the limb independence required. Then we revisited Smooth Criminal. Let’s look to get to Pre chorus for next week.
Finn
Finn is making good progress with Otherside, but I find that at times the playing sounds slightly choppy and stiff, so I tried to use the metaphor of a baseball run all the way to home base to get the idea across. On beat four is the hit, and while you make your “run”, try to stay steady, and connect the runs from base to base as smooth to possible. With that in mind, each beat should connect towards the next, and by beat four, connect back to 1. We will look to apply that concept to different bars of Ofherside next class.
Mateo
This last class we tried to do a run through of Labios Compartidos, and it seems like because Mateo wants to play the whole thing through, he didn’t place enough of an emphasis on the troubling bars while practising. Just like to remind Mateo again to always practise in the small chunks and focus down troubling spots, that way when we do runs of bigger section, we are not tripped up and under prepared for those hard spots.
Koel
We worked on Superstition, familoarising Koel to the swung 16 feel, and worked on the two tricky 32nd note fill. I would like Koel to jam out with some swung 16 material and drop in the fill every few bars.
Efe – Jan 10th
Hi Efe!
Here’s the rundown of what to do for this week.
Chords
Reacquaint yourself with the E, Em (E minor), G, and B chords.
- The Google Drive provided on December 6th shows you how to play the E chord. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1cURXZdyFoL_6FZX5V4COTxCljwXKq8wO
- The B chord is played on frets 7, 9, 9, and 8 going from the low E string up to the G string. The fingerings are 5 (the thumb), 3, 4, and 2, respectively. Feel free to be nice and tough with gripping this. If it gets painful, rest your hand. Do some stretches (you’ll see some below), then get right back to it.
- Spend 5 minutes holding down the correct frets with the correct fingerings, and strumming them with proper posture.
- Try playing those four chords over the following backing track. Spend 5 minutes doing your best with this. Remember: no need to play fast. Em slow blues backing track
Scale
The Em pentatonic scale.
- This Google Drive has pictures of the fretboard with this scale. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GMsYAiDXsew5x_4fByy4cQp8O6KXeq_6?usp=drive_link
- Please memorize this scale for next class. The shape of this scale is used all over the guitar neck for countless songs in many genres. This scale is an essential tool for most of the guitar music in the world. — Spend 5 minutes a day this week to work on memorizing this. My hope is that by next class you’ll be able to improvise on this scale without needing to look at the provided pictures.
- Experiment with playing any of this scale’s notes over this backing track. Take it as a creative game to keep getting better at. Em slow blues backing track
— Do this once a day; 10-12 minutes everyday.
— Try things like vibratos (you once called them wiggles, haha) and bends.
Song choices
Listen to the following 3 songs. Then choose the one you like best. We’ll work on that one for the spring recital.
- Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
- Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
- Rumble by Link Wray
Stretching
- Watch this video. In under 10 minutes, this famous guitarist clearly describes the types of stretching he does for his guitar playing sessions.
- What I’d like you to do with this, Efe, is to do these stretches during and after your practice sessions. He does them before his; I don’t think that’s necessary.
Additional notes
- Please get a new guitar strap.
- Please find your pick again. If you can’t then you’ll have to get a new one. My guitar lessons require the student to have a pick.
- Regarding the pain of the hand, there are 2 things to acknowledge.
— 1, this is normal. As with any physical exercise, the body and its muscles will tire and get sore. Don’t give up when this happens. But you also don’t want to overdo this, so make sure to rest during practice sessions.
— 2, everything in this practice plan can be done without days of 0 playing. I.e., no need to rest for an entire day. The aim is to keep exercising the hands so that these pains no longer occur. The day this happens will come once enough consistent practicing has been done.
Final note
I’m sorry I didn’t bring the teacher’s report today. I’ll bring it next class. One recommendation I made going forward is to practice a half hour a day, only. This should make it easier to find time to practice the guitar.
- Notice that I made today’s practice instructions so that they should span a half hour, at maximum. Most of this week’s practice should take no more than a half hour. Including the stretching I’m assigning.
- Going over a half hour this week may only happen because you must listen to each song fully and also see the full stretching video.
Good to see you again today, Efe. I’m looking forward to this new term! See you in a week!
Efe Homework Jan 3rd
Hi Efe! It’s too bad you weren’t at today’s lesson! But it does happen.
Over this week, I’d like you to do the following things.
Listen to these 3 songs:
- Rumble, by Link Wray
- Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana
- Boulevard of Broken Dream, by Green Day
See which one you like best. Then we’ll use that one as your song for this spring’s recital.
Do what you can from last time’s homework. If you didn’t do much guitar over the holidays then this should help get your hands back into the swing of things again. Otherwise, I hope what you can do from last time’s homework will continue to sharpen your skills in that material.
See you in a week!
Preferred Books for Gergely’s Students
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Hal Leonard Guitar Method
The second edition of this world-famous method by Will Schmid and Greg Koch is preferred by teachers because it makes them more effective while making their job easier. Students enjoy its easy-to-follow format that gives them a solid music education while letting them play songs right away. Book 1 provides beginning instruction including tuning, 1st position melody playing, C, G, G7, D7, and Em chords, rhythms through eighth notes, solos and ensembles and strumming.
Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests
