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, September 14th
Jack
Great work today! Using the Puss in Boots theme song (link), work on these three techniques:
1) Playing the beat with your LH
2) playing along with the sticking L-R-L-rest, repeatedly
3) playing along alternating between “L-R-L” and “R-L-R”
Tracie
Goals for this year:
–T: low expectations, leisurely, FUN!
–Continue Deftones: Minerva (different forms of counting)
Warmups:
–Triplet exercise
–Rhythm Ex. 60bpm
Deftones: Minerva
–Keep working on the main beat to the song
–Count aloud (1 + 2 + 3e+a4 + )
–Build it up slowly, one count at a time–>be able to count the passage aloud before playing it
Josh
Goals for this year:
–Eye of the tiger
–Back in Black
–Like a Stone
Review of Eye of the Tiger
ACDC: Back in Black, intro section (up until the singing starts)
–Begins with an eight-count
–Basic beat level 2
–Drum fill, playing along with the guitar riff (sing it to play it!)
Jared
Warmups:
–Stick Control ex 1-13 goal tempo: 70bpm*
—-Play each exercise 4 times, one measure rest before moving on
Bruno Mars: Treasure
–Great work. This week, we’re working on getting creative with it:
—-Bass drum on all four
—-flams for hand claps
–Conversational fills:
—-listening for gaps in the singing, add in drum fills
—-Be creative, and really try to know all the music happening around you
Assignments for the week of September 11th, 2024
Sara
Technical Exercises – Working through new key this week: E Major (4 sharps)
Overall thinking about larger groupings of notes/fingers and thinking ahead instead of thinking of what you are doing. E Major Technique Fingerings – Sara
- Scales: E Major hands separately 1 octave first, working towards hands together 2 octaves – thinking about hand position groupings as opposed to individual notes/steps. Thinking about what is under the fingers at any given moment, what is the highest/lowest notes in each position, how far do we need to move to get to the next position, etc.
- Practicing as solid blocked chords of each hand position, then moving on to stepping through the scale with a detached articulation, still thinking about the larger hand position.
- Triads: Focusing on HS solid triads, watching out for finger 2 in each position (see attached example). Holding each inversion and thinking ahead before moving, only moving to the next position when you are feeling prepared and confident you can go right to it.
Pierrot and Pierrette – Beginning to think about musical direction and dynamics! One of the most important parts of telling a story is communicating clearly – so making sure that we know what the beginning and ending of your ideas are in the piece is a good place to start (considering what they are to you right now, not what is the “correct” answer). and start to introduce dynamic markings.
- Think about your characters, shifting moods, or a narrative that makes sense for you within this piece – use it as inspiration musically as you are working. Consider the beginnings and endings of your musical ideas and how they might impact musical shapes/dynamics that are already on the page.
- Making sure that we are comfortable enough with “step 1” of notes/rhythms that we are able to at least play comfortably to the end of each idea without getting caught off guard.
- Begin introducing dynamic shapes that are on the page.
- Thinking about our waltz rhythm and how it can help us understand the flow of the music – STRONG weak weak STRONG weak weak (always going to the next strong beat 1!)
- Practicing pulsing solid chords in LH to get comfortable with changes (also a good way to introduce your dynamic shapes!)
The Entertainer – For octaves and large chords, making sure to not let our hand/wrist/forearm get tense. Opening up our fingers from our wrist instead of the base of our fingers, and not letting the wrist get too high (we want to keep as relaxed and open as possible). Practicing repeating chords/octaves and making sure you are able to stay loose especially in your wrist.
Bartok – New set of reading exercises: begin working through the first few exercises (1-6 should be enough for this week). Observing as much as you can about each new exercise before playing, see how much you are able to hear in your head before playing. Bartok Mikrokosmos Book 1 1-19
- Paying attention to rhythms, shapes/directions of notes in groupings instead of reading 1 note at a time, any patterns you notice.
Clara
Working through scanned pages, focusing on playing on the black keys and reading through each piece as opposed to practicing the same piece repeatedly. Saying all finger numbers out loud while playing through, and watching out for half notes vs. quarter notes.
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
