M.Mus (U of T)
B.Mus (Oberlin)
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, January 25th
Nova–xylo day
Warmups:
–C Major Scale and Arpeggio (C-E-G-c-G-E-C)
–Now, add in G and F major scales (on handout). Note that they each have one accidental (black key)
Cirone Book: “Step 7” ex. 1-2 ***
–Great work on Step 6!
–Learn these exercises in the same way: singing the note names aloud as you play them
Ear training: pitch matching
Aleksander
Warmups (30 sec each) goal tempo 80bpm playing four notes per beat****:
–Single strokes (R L R L…)
–Double Strokes (R R L L….)
–Paradiddles (RLRR LRLL…)
–RLLR LRRL
–FLAMS*** pay close attention to the stroke setup: one hand high, one low. After the stroke, set up the opposite way
Drumset Musician p39, introducing sixteenth-notes
–Learn the different rhythms on this page (especially the three examples at the top of the page). Once you have the first three, can you think of how to play the others?
Drumset Musician p14 ex. 7-8 (2min ea.)
Lenny Kravitz: Are You Gonna Go My Way
–everything up until the chorus
–drill speaking that syncopated fill from before the chorus with only your voice and clicking the beat with your sticks, then apply that to the drums
Tracie
Warm-ups:
–Triplet ex. (85bpm)
–Rhythmic Alphabet
Groove Essentials: Groove 1 (find chart and backing track in the Freq. Used folder)
–Basic beat with “Chad Kroeger” drum fill in measure 8
Montell Fish: Don’t you Love Me
–see the handout, drill the main groove
Jonah — xylo day
Warmups:
–Paradiddle combo exercise with bass drum playing quarters. Accent the beginning of each paradiddle
NEW SONG Paul Simon: Late in the Evening
–You can find the chart for this song in your google drive personal folder
–This week we learned the main beat. Continue getting it clean and up to speed
Xylophone Warmup exercise in C, G, F and Eb Major
Reading exercises: please make sure to READ when we’re working on reading
Ear training:
–Identifying 3rds, 5ths and 2nds
–Playing simple melodies back by ear
Jonah
Warmups (1min each):
–Triplet Ex. 125bpm
–Ride pattern exercise with sixteenth exercise on the cymbal (goal tempo 90)
Tommy Igoe’s Groove Essentials: Groove 11 SLOW (track twenty-one)
–This week, get comfortable playing the main groove along with the song
–Goal tempo is roughly 85bpm
–Begin learning the other variations
Duke of Edinburgh
–Koel logs the hours
–Smart goal: measurable, achievable, and in a timely manner (end of school year)
–SMART GOALS: 1) triplet exercise up to 140bpm 2)sixteenth-note exercise up to 110bpm 3) Master six new grooves from the Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials book (2x rock, one funk, one r&b/hiphop, one jazz, one world) 4) Learn one new song
Mario
Warmups (1min/ea)
–8 on a hand
–Single Stroke Roll (R L R L…)
–Double Stroke Roll (R R L L…)
–Imagine the playing surface is a hot burner on the stove…get the stick down and up fast or you might get burned! Really quick contact–jump off the drum (piston/full strokes)
MGMT: Kid
–Building consistency will be key for this song. Play with your metronome (goal tempo ca. 126) to help develop this
We also played along with I Love Rock ‘n Roll (Joan Jett) and We Will Rock You (Queen)
–Developing the audiation (inner voice) and adjusting (listening and matching) these songs
Drumset Musician p27 (in google drive) – 8th-note Fills, ex. 7-9
–This week, focus on keeping the 8th-note steady through your fills
Mateo
Warmups (30 sec each):
–8 on a Hand
–Single Stroke Roll (RLRL…)
–Double Stroke Roll (RRLL…)
**Think more skin on the stick (but not squeezing)
**Let the stick bounce off the drum
**Remember to dribble the basketball
Drumset Musician p27, ex. 1-3 (in Freq. Used Res. google drive folder)
–Three times through the beat, play the fill, then end with a crash
–Aim to keep the flow of the eighth-note pulse STEADY
–try looping these exercises, so that the crash after the fill becomes beat 1 of the beat again
Tommy Igoe’s Groove Essentials, Groove 1 SLOW
–Find the chart and backing track for this in the Freq. Used Resources folder
–Practice playing the basic beat along with the song. Make sure to listen carefully to stay on pace
Queen: Another One Bites the Dust
–Find the chart for this song in your personal gdrive folder
–This week, we’re just working on the material from p. 1
Assignments for the Week of January 22nd, 2025
Hakim
Technical Exercises – Continue practice on D Major scale – 1 octave stepping hands separately and together
- Focusing on stepping down our scale, especially in the left hand
- Still practicing as solid blocked hand positions hands separately, so your left hand is feeling confident hands together!
Bartok – Practicing fully hands together, making sure you are able to confidently play through both #7 and 8
- #7 – Noticing changes in our rhythmic pattern (measures 1-4 different from 8-11)
- #8 -Watching out for F# in our key signature. Changing hand positions at measure 9 – shifting our hand from an E minor position down a step, to a D Major position (F# shifting from RH finger 2, to RH finger 3)
The Calico Cat
- Practicing hands separately all the way to the end! Focusing on RH measures 9 to the end.
- Practicing hands together up to measure 9.
- When practicing hands together, watch out for when our hands are playing together (measure 1 beat 1) versus when they are responding to each other (measure 1 beat 4 LH responds to our RH eighth notes). Counting out loud will help understand exactly how they fit together.
Clara
Technical Exercises – Continue practicing our C Major scale hands separately and together
- Practicing with a legato, staccato, and detached articulation so we are feeling comfortable and ready to jump into a new scale next week!
- Try using a metronome to see what your most comfortable speed is, then challenge yourself to increase our speed while staying comfortable and relaxed in our hands.
Lesson Book – Allegro in C Major
- Similar to our scale, checking our most comfortable speed with our metronome at home, then seeing if we can increase our overall speed.
- Goal speed: 80-85 BPM all the way through
- Break things into smaller groups of measures – focusing on tricky spots where our left hand is holding our speed back, practicing hands separately until the left hand is as comfortable as our right hand.
- Make sure we are noticing our right hand legato markings!
Melody in G Major – Hands separate practice only, focusing on our left hand more than right
- Our pattern is constantly changing, going back and forth between changing lower notes and our D in finger 1. If you need to write in any finger numbers or note names that is totally fine!
- For our left hand, practicing very slowly while saying note names out loud in small chunks. Make sure you are able to confidently play through measures 1-4 (at least!) while saying note names out loud.
- Our left hand is quite busy in this piece, so make sure we are feeling loose and relaxed as we play. Turning our hand like we are turning a door knob as we rotate back and forth is a good way to stay relaxed!
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
