By Nina Zhuang
Toby Ho’s first teachers were himself, some guitar magazines, instructional books, recordings and YouTube videos. With some music theory background from the piano, he began to play by ear and gradually built his way up. It may seem like an unconventional beginning for some, but Ho saw it as a modern way to cultivate a passion.
“If you’re passionate about something, you can learn and do anything on your own,” said the Richmond Hill-based musician and MAC member. “It’s all about how driven you are.”
The guitarist’s musical style and approach to performance took after rock icons Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, and more. “The sheer virtuosity, the intensity required to play [rock music] I learned a lot about dedication and focus in order to pull off difficult musical passages. There is a lot of intricate work involved.” In this regard, he considers them his teachers.
His current playing style, solo finger-st
yle acoustic guitar, is inspired by Tommy Emmanuel (“the best acoustic guitarist of all time,” he raved) and Sungha Jung, a child prodigy at the time Ho first discovered him on YouTube. “It was so awesome. I didn’t know about this style at the time, but it was so cool. It set off a lightbulb and inspired me to try that.”
Giving back to the abundance of guitar resources online, Ho has been transcribing music and then sharing it on his YouTube channel. One of his most popular recordings was that of I Want It That Way by the beloved Backstreet Boys, and also a turning point for him.
“I thought, ‘maybe somebody could hear this and learn the arrangement. Maybe it will help someone.’ I felt like it was a way for me to contribute to the world music-wise, and it turns out a lot of people enjoyed it! So I’m going to keep doing that,” he said cheerfully.
Toby Ho continues to contribute to the music world as a guitar teacher. As an instructor at the Max Music Academy in Richmond Hill, he has been able to mentor and inspire many young musicians. What’s more is that they inspire him, too.
“I had a student who was 8 at the time when she started learning with me. She studied with me for a few years and now she has her own Spotify and albums! It’s really rewarding to watch my students grow as musicians and as people. They begin to outshine me, but that’s so awesome.”
His experience as a solo musician, band musician for gigs (weddings, corporate events, and more), and teacher have helped him pinpoint the true purpose of music.
“Music is not a sport,” he said. “It shouldn’t be viewed in a purely competitive way. Instead, you should compete with yourself to become a better musician than you were yesterday. That’s a healthier sense of competition.”
He found that working with and learning from a community of musicians, which includes his peers from the jazz program at Humber College and the teachers at Max Music Academy, pushes him to strive for improvement. Being part of a community with talented artists like himself encourages him to seek new challenges and achieve new heights.
Toby Ho’s ultimate philosophy is that music exists to make people smile. “I play music because it makes me happy and I want others to be happy. If people are head-bobbing and moving around, then you’re doing something right.”
Listen to Toby Ho through his website (tobyhoguitar.com) and YouTube channel, TobyHoGuitar.
