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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Assignments from February 20th
Hello Everyone!
Such fun classes today!
Vida:
Great work this week! Continue to warm up with the F Major scale, hands together. Continue to work on Rhino in the Mud. Don’t forget the D in the right hand of measure 8, and review measure 9-11 (this phrase starts on a G!) You can feel free to record this song for Vida to hear! Ask her to play it as if she is “performing it” (playing start to finish smoothly, and as accurately as possible). When listening back, have Vida follow along by pointing to the notes she hears with a pencil. Take turns pointing so that Vida can read and listen at the same time.
Eva:
Great to see you this week! Please continue to help Eva read “Dancing with Frankenstein”. She knows the first phrase, we read this together in class. If she gets stuck and doesn’t remember the notes, I’ve uploaded flashcards of all the notes in the song for review. I’ve also uploaded a work sheet for Eva. The sheet asks her to write in the names of the notes, write the correct note on the staff, and to colour the notes she sees with matching colours. She can also practice “Jingle Bells” as she requested this song in class. Please help her to read this when practicing, she knows most of the notes, but some of them are new (D, F, and A). If she gets stuck, ask her if the next note is higher or lower than the one she just played and by how many steps on the “ladder”. You can find the worksheet and flashcards here.
Christin:
Great class today! Continue to warm up with the C and G Major scales. When practicing “A Little Night Music”, remember to look for the shape of the phrase to help with sight-reading. I’ve uploaded a recording of myself playing so you can hear the “finished product”. Try not to rely on the recording and remember to read the notes rather than listen for them. If you feel up for the challenge, try to sight read “Sailor’s Tall Tale” that I’ve uploaded to the drive. You can also start to work on “How Long Will I Love You”! Specifically work on playing the C Major (1st inversion) and G Major chords both solid and “rolled” and practice the eighth note melody in measure 9. Feel free to sight read as much as you can between now and our next class, we can correct any errors then. You can find the materials you need to practice here!
Thanks everyone for great classes this week! Happy practicing!
Saturday, February 22nd
Jack
Warmups:
–Tragically Hip: 50 Mission Cap
Benny Greb Rhythmic Alphabet
–Practice putting the letters of your new sentence of different drums
–Use the drum set notation on the bottom half of the page to help with reading which drums happen when
Beatles: Ticket to Ride
–Keep working on the main beat of this song! Let’s try to play along with it next time
Nova
Warmups:
–See Google Drive (or handout if we were able to print it) with the C Major, G Major, and F Major scale warmups
Cirone Book: “Step 7” ex. 3-4
–Nice job! Don’t forget to play hand-to-hand, and in the centre of each bar
–This week, let’s do #5-6
FIFTY FIFTY: Cupid
–See chart in your google drive folder
Aleksander
Warmups goal tempo *90bpm* playing four notes per beat:
–Singles, Doubles, and Paradiddles (four counts each for 1min)
–Flams, flam triplets
Drumset Musician: Sixteenth Note Ride Patterns (in your gdrive folder)
–Drill ex. 5-7, 2min ea
Lenny Kravitz: Are You Gonna Go My Way–all the way to the end!
–Polish off the ending (post-guitar-solo fill, and the time signature changes at the end)
Jonah
==Xylophone==
Warmups: see Xylophone Warmup Sheet in the Google Drive PLEASE PRINT
–This week, add in Bb Major and D Major
Ear training:
–Identifying 3rds, 5ths, and 2nds
–Playing simple melodies back by ear
Bruno Mars: Locked out of Heaven CHORD CHART EXERCISE
–I added some more to this this week! PLEASE PRINT***********
==Drums==
Warmups:
–Paradiddle combo exercise with bass drum playing quarters. Accent the beginning of each paradiddle
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
Jared
Warmups:
–Stick Control ex 14-23 (90bpm***)
—-Play each exercise 4 times
Igoe’s Groove Essentials – Groove 1 slow (track 1)
–Same assignment, but now move the RH to the ride and put LF hihat “chick” on a) “2” and “4” (b) “1 2 3 4” and (c) “1+2+3+4+”
Funk Groove Eleven SLOW
–We learned two fills today for this song. One was short (on beat 4) and one was longer (beats three and four). Drill’em!
Mario
Warmups (1min/ea) with Metronome at 115bpm (two notes per beat)
–8 on a hand
–Single Stroke Roll (R L R L…)
–Double Stroke Roll (R R L L…)
–Focus on keeping up with the metronome. You have a tendency to drag, so don’t let yourself get sluggish!
Queen: Rock you
–Filling in the empty “4”
Joan Jett: Rock ‘n Roll
–Watermelon-watermelon fill off the top
–“apple pineapple” fill before chorus
Drumset Musician p27 (in google drive) – 8th-note Fills, ex. 9-12
–This week, focus on keeping the 8th-note steady through your fills
***NEW SONG Red Hot Chili Peppers: My Friends
–This week, drill the main beat (it’s ex. 7 from Drumset Musician p11)
–We’ll work on the first couple fills
Mateo
Warmups (30 sec each) **pulling your thumb back:
–8 on a Hand
–Single Stroke Roll (RLRL…)
–Double Stroke Roll (RRLL…)
Drumset Musician p27, ex. 10-12**
–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
–count aloud!
Tommy Igoe’s Groove Essentials, Groove 1 SLOW
–Drill Variation A this week, making it fit tidily along with the recording
–Add in fills from D.M. book. Count aloud!!!
NEW SONG Survivor: Eye of the Tiger
–Find the chart in your google drive folder
–learn page 1 this 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
