B.Mus (Humber)
Simon is a recent graduate of Humber College, being very passionate about both bass and guitar for over 15 years. He is also a prominent member of the Toronto rock scene, having booked venues, and played shows throughout the city. Simon has had the pleasure to study with the likes of Ted Quinlan, Mike Downes and Justin Gray. With 2 years of teaching experience at Long and McQuade, Simon creates a personalized learning experience for each student in a friendly and non-judgemental learning environment.
Simon is mostly focused on his original music in his free time, with a strong love for composition and theory.
Get to know TEACHER…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Writing, Movies, Photography
Musical Influences: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Courtney Barnett, Daniel Romano
Favourite Food: Tacos
Favourite Music: Rock, Hip Hop
Favourite Song: Bold as Love by Jimi Hendrix
Favourite Movie: Bladerunner 2049
Favourite movie music: Submarine
Favourite musical theatre: Singing in the Rain
Best Quote From a Teacher: “Don’t get frustrated when you fail. Use that energy to try it again.”
Favourite Book: Just Kids by Patti Smith
Best thing about teaching at ABC: To have a student feel proud of themselves for how far they have come.
Latest Homework from Simon
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Feb 21 – Emet, Jayden, Josh, Marshall
Emet
Nice work on Solute Your Solution! Keep working on both the chords and the riff. Focus on your right hand and the string changes when playing the riff. Practice it slow, but in time. Great work on Blue Orchid today! Practice those two main riffs that we went over. This is a great song to practice rhythm ideas and right hand techniques. We will keep working on this next time. Great work!
Jayden
Brand New Cadillac sounds great! All the different parts sound really good. Practice the structure of the riff this week. Try to play along to the song! Fell In Love With a Girl sounds great too! This is a great song to practice right hand strumming patterns. Remember the idea we talked about: when playing chords (generally speaking), our right hand should not stop moving. In other words, our right hand is going to move with the beat of the song. Remember that when practicing this week. Nice work on Sixteen Saltines! We will finish it next time! Great work!
Josh
Nice work on Cake By The Ocean! The next step for this song is to really focus on those triplets. If you practice that rhythm, the whole song will get much smoother and faster! Practice the song slow, but in time for now. Nice work on Slim Shady also! Again, start out by practicing this song slowly. Repeat the specific parts of the riff you find hard over and over. Once we work on the hardest parts of the riff, the whole thing will come together. We will finish this one next time. Nice work!
Marshall
Great work on Here Comes The Sun! It is really coming along. Focus on the chords and bridge section this week. Try to play along to the song! Use YouTube’s playback feature to play at 75% speed, because the song is very fast. Nice work on It Was A Good Day and Slim Shady! Try to play along with the tracks! Bring more songs you want to learn next time! I like this hip hop direction! Great work!
Feb 9 – Mike, Katarina, Kaylee, Simon, Layla
Mike Great work on Let It Be! We will continue [...]
Preferred Books for Simon’s Students
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Hal Leonard Guitar Method COMPLETE
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and reflects some of the best teaching ideas from around the world. This super-convenient Complete Edition features the new and improved method books 1, 2 and 3 spiral-bound together.
Alfred's Basic Guitar Method
Recognized for over 50 years as the best-paced and most comprehensive guitar method available, Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method has introduced over 3 million beginners to the joy of playing guitar. This updated and expanded edition features a new layout, making it easier to read and learn. Now included are blues, country, folk, jazz, and rock styles, plus more pop songs! New DVDs with iPod-compatible video are now available for the visual learner, and correlating theory, chord, and pop books ensure that you’ll get everything you need from one complete method. Learning to play has never been easier or more fun than with Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method—the first and best choice for today’s beginning guitar students.
Guitar Grimoire
Every chord of every key and mode is presented with thousands of diagrams and charts. Includes polychords, chord substitutions, inversions and movable voicings.
This indespensable volume belongs in every guitarist’s library.
This book is a “where to” book, showing you exactly where to find any chord in any key on your fretboard. It is a professional reference tool to enhance your music library and playing that you will use for many years to come.