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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Thursday, March 26th
My dear colleague Jade will be stepping in to teach this coming week on April 2nd.
Josh
We moved on to Wonderwall. Josh did Don’t Look Back in Anger previously, and because the beat was so similar, at first he was relying on memory to play the first part of the two bar beat (see bar 24-25). This is a good sign that Josh is able to replicate a beat from listening, but I also would like to remind him to keep going back to the score when learning a new song. Bar 24 and 25 are sounding good individually, and I would like Josh to work on them individually and combining the two. Later, try to play the two bar on loop.
Aleksander
Currently, Alex is working on Bring me to Life. Right now, he is able to play up to bar 37 very well. Up to bar 24, Alex can play it at 90% of the speed, and for the verse (bar 24-32), he is sitting at around 60% speed. To get it up to speed, I think the coordination of beat two in bar 25 is worth practising in isolation, with metronome. Aleksander should try to finish the page this week and play through at a slower speed with Jade.
Zico
Zico is picking up the Sir Duke quickly, and getting a good feel of the swung 16. We tried a little play through of page 1 during lesson, and noticed that the swung 16 tends to be crushed during fills. Listen to the horns for a reference of how those swung 16th should sound like. Also practise the push pull motion on hi hat. Loosen up the wrist, and perhaps do some metronome work to get it up to speed. Now it is a little stiff and its slightly dragging. Overall, great job so far on the song though!
Noah
Started with the play through of When I Come Around, and although it went smoothly, we are back to the old habit of playing fast material to fast. This is perhaps a good reminder to practise material with metronome, making sure it slots perfectly into each beat. We briefly looked at Smooth Criminal together. Try to perhaps get through the Intro with Jade.
Finn
We revisited Kids with a Gun. Great job with the coordination, but need to slightly control the sound quality of the open hihat. We will work on that in the next song, which is Otherside by RHCP. It is similar to Can’t Stop, another RHCP he played in the past. So I will like for him to practise the one intro bar with rim shots, and also revise the Cant Stop groove.
Henry
We continued working on 21 Guns this class. Henry is doing very well with the counting and observing the change in the pattern very well. We have worked till bar 23 and bar 24 is still slightly tricky for Henry. Practise the R R R RL rhythm on another surface, and make sure the 16th notes is played correctly, then move it to snare and crash. The score has the lyrics on top if Henry ever needs a tip for how the melody goes for each passage.
Mateo
For Labios today, we went through first page, and identified the different sections. Overall, Mateo should look towards playing with less tension, and I talked to him about having different energy level for different sections of the song. For example, hold back during verse, slowly escalate during Pre Chorus and at Chorus you can play louder. Escalate also during the fill leading up to the next section. Also the song also has an interesting 10 bar Chorus sections, and another two bars post Chorus before the song gets back to verse. Worth noting that and playing accordingly. I would like Mateo to look through the song until bar 57 this week.
Koel
We continue working on Fool in the Rain today. The song is somewhat repetitive, but Koel is finding the groove slightly tricky to play. The pattern for Chorus on ride is worth practising by isolating different instrument groupings, before piecing it altogether. Also Koel is sometimes tripping on the end of the phrase when there is a different sticking. Practise triplets in these following sticking during warm up: RRL RRL/LLR LLR/ RLL RLL/ LRR LRR. Then play snare and bass drum together first for those bars, before adding in the rest. Try the samba section as well, and if the previous sections are going well, Koel can start working with Jade on samba section.
Homework for March 25-April 1
Dear students,
Great work today! Here is this week’s homework:
Nova
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 per day
What to practice: Halftime Show, Matchmaker, Ruler of my Heart, C triads
How to practice:
Halftime Show- hold tied notes for two bars, pay attention to articulations. Familiarize yourself with the song.
Matchmaker- Staccatos are better, keep practicing! Now practice with the written dynamics, as well as repetitions with 1st and 2nd endings.
Ruler- review, bring for next week
Triads- play ascending one octave, then repeat top note and descend back to wheee you started. Practice so that it flows without you having to stop.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide as needed. Remind them to bring theory book, ruler of my heart, as well as matchmaker and halftime show music.
Maya
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 per day
What to practice: The Rainbow, Baby Bear
How to practice:
The Rainbow- do not skip the third note in bar 3 both lines.
Baby Bear- familiarize yourself with the song. A lot of 12 or 23 fingering. Count, especially with the new 4-beat note.
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide as needed with notes, rhythm and fingering.
See you next 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
