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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Lesson Notes, Thursday January 9 2025
Hello all,
Your lesson notes are as follows:
Eva
Recommended minutes to practice:
- 10-15 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week
What to practice:
- Finger number patterns – try playing some of the patterns that go across the whole hand (using fingers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5!)
- Tub Time!: this piece will focus on middle C, D, and the lowest F on the piano. Aim to see how comfortably you can jump from the middle C all the way to low F
- Gliding Goldfish: This piece tells the story of a goldfish swimming around! Read the words for the piece and see if you can perform the story on the keyboard. You are also welcome to use the pedal during this piece
- (Pumpkin Party is a bonus piece if there’s time/interest to look through); the highlight of this piece is playing C+E in different areas of the piano.
How to practice efficiently:
- Remember your anchor points on the keyboard (C, F, and D in the “dog house”)
- Approach the piece in different ways: sing the words, clap the rhythms, name the note names.
How can caregivers support practice:
- Hands/Wrists: reminder of how to position hands while playing (gently curved fingers, wrist is not collapsed), remember not to pop the “paint balloons”
- This does not have to happen in every practice session, but once a piece is feeling comfortable (steady rhythm, recognition of patterns/notes,) challenge Eva to play through a piece start to finish to see what it feels like to be in “performer mode”
Chris
Topics we discussed during lesson (diagrams/images are attached):
- Major keys and relative minor keys
- Circle of fifths; key signatures with sharps and flats
- Sharps and Flats Acronym
Recommended time to practice:
- 20-30 minutes 4 or 5 days of the week
What to practice:
- Bartok sight reading; see attached pdf (book 1)
- 5 note scales and chords (out lining the fifth [1 and 5], playing the third [note under finger 3, and then the full triad [notes under finger 1, 3, 5]); C position and G position
- As mentioned during the lesson: you can also try playing the 5-note cluster using fingers 1-5. This can help engage/bring attention to the larger muscle groups in our back
- Russian Sailor Dance (p.28): lean into the accents in the opening chords, remember to think of your alignment/which muscle groups your are activating to play
- Midnight Ride (p.29): Elements to focus on in this piece will be your accents, legato phrasing (notes flowing into each other without “smearing”), and dynamic contrasts
- Bus Stop Boogie (p.30): This piece is our first piece to have skips in addition to steps! Keep a close eye to what’s written on the page for note accuracy
How to practice efficiently:
- Repetition is key, but the most helpful thing to do throughout is to check in with some basic questions. This can be in regard to:
- Alignment in the body / Hand position (Am I sitting on top of my tailbone? Am I slouching? Are my wrists collapsing when I play? Are my fingers on the right notes?)
- Rhythm (am I holding notes for their entire duration? Is my tempo steady throughout?)
- Note accuracy (could I name all the notes I am playing in this piece? Are the notes I’m playing matching with the notes that are written in the music?)
Happy practicing!
Tuesday, January 7th
Josh, Jan 7
- Warm ups: warming up our hands and wrists by stretching
- Build up the groove for I Had Some Help by playing only the snare, then adding the kick, then adding the hihat. Always count yourself in out loud “1 2 here I go” so you play in time
- Start the metronome at 95. Play the groove at this speed until you are comfortable. Increase the metronome to 100 and play the groove until you are comfortable here. Try to get up to 115 this week.
Myles, Jan 7
- Warm up: paradiddles. Play toms with the right hand and “walk” your right hand around the drums
- Weezer: My Name is Jonas – Practice the groove before the chorus on a loop
- Play a recording of the song. Try to keep time using only the hihat
Xylo next week! Here are you notes from last time
Xylophone
-G major technique: Great job! If you’re wanting to vary the way scales are practiced, try
incorporating dynamics or different rhythmic patterns (doubling each note, swinging the notes
going up and down)
-Reading at the keyboard: see image on anchor points and note acronyms on the staff
-Cirone Simple Steps: Awesome sight reading today! Continue working on your note recognition
on the staff
-Over the break, focus on Weezer: My Name is Jonas and G major technique
Finn, Jan 7
- Warmups (30sec each, counting aloud):
- Single Strokes
- Double Strokes
- 8 on a hand
- Visual Drummer: great job reading today!
- Ex. 7-9: play each one 4 times, one after another without stopping
- Ex. 10-12: practice these. Play the kick drum only and count out loud first
Next week we’ll play I Love Rock and Roll!
Francisco, Jan 7
- Warm ups: Add Stick Control #9-12 (4x each, 120 bpm)
- Challenge yourself with stick control by walking your right hand around the toms, playing at different dynamics, and not stopping between lines
- Superstition: practice the “bucket of fish” fill. Remember to go slow and read the grooves that are slightly different. Keep working on the new groove section (3rd page, second half
Noah, Jan 7
- Warm ups: Single, Double, and Triple paradiddles, 1 min per session, 75 bpm and use a metronome! We’ll work with a metronome more next week
- Late in the Evening: Work on keeping your torso upright and not rocking back and forth when playing with both feet
- Using a metronome, try to lock in the kick and hihat with the metronome click. This will help keep your hands steady
- Challenge yourself by adding kick and hihat downbeats on single and triple paradiddles
Preferred Books for Gergely’s Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
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
