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!
Coming soon!
Hobbies:
Musical influences:
Favourite food:
Least favourite food:
Favourite music:
Favourite album:
Favourite movie:
Favourite musical theatre/opera:
Best quote from your teacher:
Favourite quote:
Favourite book:
Latest Homework from Gergely
Is Gergely Your Teacher?
Sign up now to get your weekly assignments delivered, and never lose your homework sheet again!
Homework for April 23-30
Great work today everybody! I enjoyed teaching you. Here is this week’s homework:
Georgia
Recommended mins to practice: 15-20 min per day
What to practice: Minuet/Trio
How to practice: Slow, hands separate until you’re very comfortable, then try hands together. Pay attention to the 3/4 timing. Continue to count out loud like you did in the lesson, it will help. You improved drastically from the beginning of the lesson to the end.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide her with rhythm. Give positive encouragement.
Noreet
Recommended mins to practice: 15-20 min per day
What to practice: The Daydream, kitchki
How to practice:
The Daydream- use piano dynamics as written when playing the major version. Practice the minor version more so that you are prepared to play it without stumbling, since you don’t have music to look at for that part.
Kitchki- play the chromatic scale the same speed as you play the chords, even if that means you have to slow down the chromatic scale to accommodate the chords.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide as needed.
Clara
Recommended mins to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Pink Panther, Ukrainian Folk Song
How to practice:
Pink Panther- play more with dynamics. Start quiet and then play loud at the climax.
Ukrainian song- review the two spots we discussed in line 2. Practice lines 3 and 4 hands separate, then once very comfortable try hands together.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide as needed.
Andrew
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-30 minutes a day
What to practice: On My Own, breathing exercises
How to practice:
To warm up, inhale for 4 and exhale for 4, then inhale for 4, hold for 4, and exhale for 4, and finally inhale for 4, hold for 4, and exhale for 8. Place your hand on your diaphragm to feel it rising and falling.
On My Own (this can also be applied to any song or technique), practice opening your throat, lifting the soft palate, and relaxing facial muscles. This will help ease the tension when hitting high notes and overall healthier singing. With any song, it takes practice to get used to the amount of energy you need to get through the whole piece. Pace yourself; follow the emotional arc of the song and save singing at full volume for the moments you really need to.
Homework for April 22-29
Nova
Rec min to practice: 15-20 per day
What to practice: Ode to Joy for concert
How to practice:
Song structure:
Theme x2
Bridge
Theme x2
Bridge
Final Theme
Continue with the dynamic buildup. For the beginning, play the softest you can without losing sound quality. By the second theme, it should already be in the moderate loud range. Make the final theme a 10/10 on a scale from soft to loud, so that it’s epic. Practice the final chord.
Eighth notes in Bridge: Practice with funky rhythms both ways a few times and then do it normally. Round fingers will make for greater control.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide as needed. Specifically give feedback on gradual buildup of dynamics (soft to loud) in Ode to Joy.
Maya
Rec min to practice: 10-15 min per day
What to practice: C-D-E
How to practice: Remember that notes with white heads have two beats. Count out loud while practicing, and use a metronome to make sure you are playing the correct rhythm.
How parents can support practice: Make sure she uses the metronome, and help her with rhythm, especially when it comes to fixing the half notes. Make sure she understands the difference between half notes and quarter notes.
See you next week:)
Efe October 4th
Hi Efe and family! Here is the material to work on for this week.
Aim to do this practice routine once a day leading up to our next lesson. I’ve written out ideally how long Efe should practice these items in a day. If practicing in these time-lengths is not possible, then do as much as is possible in a day.
- Play everything here with a metronome. Tempos are listed for each item.
- Practice both standing and sitting. Maintain proper posture as we discussed in class. For classical positioning, have the guitar head high up. For casual positioning, have the guitar head far forward. Remember, we’re always aiming to make both wrists fairly straight.
- Please get the Guitar Method 1 book this week. The Amazon link is attached. The videos of the scales we covered today are accessible in the homework post from 2 weeks ago.
- Practice the following pieces from the Guitar Method 1 book:
Alternate pick the following pieces (picking Down-Up-Down-Up):
- Page 8 #11. 55BPM. One quarter note per beat. — 5 minutes.
- Page 9 #12, #13, and #14. 55BPM. One quarter note per beat. — Make sure to read the paragraph at piece 14. — 10 minutes altogether.
- I want Efe to start getting into the habit of alternate picking things. This will be done in countless other guitar playing he will come across.
Down pick the following piece (only pick down):
- Page 9 #15. 55BPM. One quarter note per beat. 5 minutes.
- C major scale. 45BPM. One quarter note per beat. — 10 minutes.
- A minor pentatonic scale. 45BPM. One quarter note per beat. — 10 minutes.
- Chords. Keep playing all the chords we have covered so far. Just play them freely, to a tempo no faster than 60BPM. — 5 minutes.
You can do this, Efe. It will only get easier with time. See you in a week!
Efe homework – Sep 27th
Hello Efe and family! Wishing you guys a great weekend!
Below is the rundown of material to work on from today’s lesson. Aim to do this practice routine once a day leading up to our next lesson.
- Practice everything with a metronome.
Tempos are listed for each item.
- Please get the Guitar Method 1 book this week. The Amazon link is attached. There is homework from it. Aside from this, the videos of the scales we covered today are accessible in the homework of last week.
- Play the guitar both standing and sitting. Try playing all the chords we’ve covered so far, both while seated and while standing. – 10 minutes.
Make sure you’re always wearing a guitar strap. This will ensure that your posture on the instrument is good regardless of whether you’re standing or sitting.
- C Major scale – 10 minutes. 45 BPM.
This is a classical scale. Its fingerings were found out by Andrés Segovia. He found that these were the most efficient possible fingerings for the major and minor scales on the classical guitar. Playing this scale and anything else from classical music calls on the most efficient and strict posture on the whole body of the guitarist. This means that the guitar head must be held so high that the instrument looks almost like a cello. As well, your thumb must be behind the guitar neck so that no one from in front of you can see it. So whether standing or sitting, make sure that the guitar is positioned in such a way that the wrists are straight. Remember, the adjusting the strap properly will help. Playing this scale in any other way will result in injury of the guitarist’s hands or body.
- A minor pentatonic scale – 10 minutes. 45 BPM.
This scale is used in the genres rock, pop, folk, country, heavy metal, and more. For these genres, it is not quite as strict how the guitar must be held. However, the rule I will enforce is that you play with the guitar head pushed forward, away from your body. Remember, twisting the wrist slightly will help you get the right position. Also: having the thumb on top of the guitar neck (as opposed to the classical hand position) is a good thing to help you maintain a suitable posture for this scale.
- Practice pieces 2 and 3 from page 6 of the Guitar Method 1 book. Then try playing as much as you want of anything from page 7. – 15 minutes. 60 BPM.
While they might be good beginner pieces, the challenge here will be to make sure you’re playing right on the beat of the metronome. I noticed that playing things exactly on the beat was more of a struggle today.
Thank you for your work this past week, Efe. Keep it up! You’ve got this! I’ll see you in a week!
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
