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 14 – Emet, Jayden, Josh, Marshall, Ethan
Emet
Nice work on Sweet Child of Mine! Try to play through the whole song! Great work on Salute Your Solution today! Practice the (bar) chords and the riff. Try to play along to the song! Focus on memorizing the frets I assigned to you today. It will be incredibly helpful to get familiar with more of the neck! Keep working on counting up each string also. We will do Blue Orchid next time! Great work!
Jayden
Brand New Cadillac sounds great! Try to play along to the song! Nice work on Fell In Love With a Girl! I want to get you back into bar chords, so practice this one with bar chords this week. Nice work with the right hand techniques! We will continue this discussion on strumming patterns next time. Great work!
Josh
Nice work on Cake By The Ocean. Keep working on the riff and the chords. Slow down the riff when you are practicing. It will help you get the right rhythm with those really fast triplets. Listen to the song if you need a reminder. Nice work on Slim Shady today! That is a really fun riff. We will keep working on that tune next time. Keep bring in songs you want to learn! Great work!
Marshall
Nice work on Here Comes the Sun! Focus on smoothing out the phrasing of the riff this week. Try to play each note longer, and practice the transitions between notes. Have a listen to the song and take note of the phrasing and articulation. We will keep working away at this. Nice job with the chords today! Keep working on the strumming pattern. Playing with a pick will help a lot with this section. We will keep working on this tune next time. Great work!
Ethan
Nice job with Let It Be! Do not stress about the F chord. This is something that can be worked on over time. That shape will become very important though so keep working away at it! Nice job on Rock You Like a Hurricane! Practice it with both power chords and open chords. Nice job with our discussion about the fretboard! We will keep working on this together. Great work!
Feb 2 – Mike, Katarina, Kaylee, Van, Simon, Layla
Mike Great job with Let It Be! Keep practicing it [...]
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.
