Bio
Oscar Suh-Rodriguez is a guitarist, composer, and music-educator based in New Jersey.
After acquiring his BFA in Jazz Performance from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 2013, Oscar went on to tour the US and Europe as a sideman for various artists. While working as a funk, rock, and blues player, he continued his solo guitar and jazz studies under guitarists Pedro Rodriguez, John Stowell, Gene Bertoncini, and Vic Juris. He received his MFA in Music Composition from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2022, where he studied under Ravi Krishnaswami, John Mallia, and Carla Kihlstedt.
Currently, Oscar resides in northern New Jersey where he continues to freelance as a sideman, perform regularly as a solo guitarist, and teach select private lessons.
Oscar is founder of and lead producer for the indie record label Kidokoro Records.
Thoughts:
on solo guitar
Vic Juris once enlightened me with a simple question. “What are the rules to playing solo guitar?”
I considered some technical ideas: “you must keep the harmony afloat? You must play occasional bass notes?” but didn’t dare guess. “I don’t know” I said.
He replied with great satisfaction, “There AREN’T any rules.”
I do my best to keep this at the core of my playing. How many steps away from silence am I? Is this instrument six strings or three pairs? Do the fatter strings feel lonely? What does the air say if I stop?
on Guitar studies
Know what your goal is. The answer can be elusive. Charlie Hunter precisely called the guitar an “idiomatic instrument” so there is no “getting good” at guitar. Recognize the language you wish to speak or whether you need to invent one.
I’ve been playing guitar for fifteen years now and believe I’ve only just started to hear the actual sound of the guitar. It takes a lot of wandering to find your voice on the instrument so enjoy the distractions.
on Intervals
When beginning harmonic studies, you’re stepping into a domain of paved roads and named streets. In my early studies, tensions and intervals seemed to have their own predetermined functions. To study music was to study the map of the city.
In my recent practice, however, I’ve spent time getting to know the sound of each interval from scratch, attempting to set aside what the radio tells me is right. Exercises from Joe Diorio and Jimmy Wyble and even a few I’ve made myself have laid out new paths along the fretboard.
As a result, my personal relationship with each interval has blossomed. Discovering my own value for each harmony has brought so much freedom and satisfaction to my solo playing. I frequently check in with myself: How do you value each interval?
The Minor 2nd: the soul
The Major 2nd: love
The Minor 7th: an empty room
The Major 7th: tears
And so on.