K. McCullough: a Musical Autobiography

- Kareem McCullough reflects on his **compositional process**, beginning with improvisation, experimentation, and musical discovery. - He discusses how pieces such as **“Finding My Way,” “Aftermath,” and “Internal Shadows”** came into existence. - Kareem explores the relationship between **improvisation and music theory**, and how theory helps him develop ideas rather than dictate them. - He discusses his fascination with **modal mixture, harmonic ambiguity, major 7th and 9th chords, and internal dissonance**. - He reflects on how the **guitar itself shapes his compositional language**, particularly through its ability to blend and “warm” dissonant sonorities. - Kareem describes composition as an **archaeological process of discovery**, including the experience of musical ideas emerging through dreams and improvisation. - He discusses the influence of **blues, jazz, rock, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, and classical guitar** on his musical voice. - Kareem considers what makes music **Black music**, emphasizing lived experience rather than a fixed collection of rhythms, scales, or stylistic characteristics. - He reflects on the autobiographical nature of his music and the ways his experiences as a **Black man in the United States** inform his creative practice. - Kareem discusses **race, identity, class, solidarity, and the evolving way he understands his place within American society and the classical music world**. - He addresses the challenges Black musicians face in entering classical music, including **access to private instruction, socioeconomic inequality, and representation**. - Kareem discusses the importance of **seeing people who look like you in spaces where you may not initially see yourself**. - He encourages the next generation of Black musicians to **“expand the net”** rather than limiting themselves to a single musical or cultural category. - Kareem reflects on his hope that, eventually, **Black music can simply be understood as music**—while still acknowledging the importance of preserving and discussing Black cultural history. - Finally, Kareem considers **legacy and memory**, sharing what he hopes listeners and musicians might discover in his music generations from now. **Themes:** Composition · Improvisation · Black Musical Identity · Classical Guitar · Race & Identity · Representation · Access · Class · Tradition · Musical Memory · Legacy