By Prisca Sam-Duru

At the tender age of 15, Ayokunle Moses Okundare, aka Great Kminor, began his foray into the world of music.

His love for music got him into a year’s basic course on guitar and music theory at MAC AYLIT (Music Art and Creativity As You Like It) Institute.

After a year of being in the music institute, the Ogun State-born artiste became so skilful with the instrument that he could play virtually all genres of music and also got recommendations to work with several Artists like Emma OhMyGod, Laolu Gbenjo, BBO, Yetunde Are, Haruna Ishola, Dare Another Level, Gbenga Akinfenwa and Dr Evang Bola Are.

Great Kminor shares more about his earliest memory of music, and how it shaped his path as a guitarist and composer.

“My earliest memory of music was 2009, about 15 years ago when I began my foray into the world of music by playing the mouth organ. My father saw my potential and immediately enrolled me into MAC AYLIT (Music Art and Creativity as You Like It) Institute for a year’s basic course in Violin and Music theory. The theoretical music understanding made it easy for me to learn another instrument and I chose the guitar. I found it more interesting and decided to make more with the guitar as it makes composing songs easier.”

He has this to say about what music means to him. “Music to me is a form of expression of Joy/Happiness but most times, it’s about passing a message from the depth of my heart.

“I am sure that the message I pass to my audience is clear, direct and relatable as it cuts across all spheres of life. I simply pass a message of hope, joy, happiness, thanksgiving, moral and lifestyle.”

His journey has been successful with some artists playing vital roles to ignite his desire to become a virtuoso and he is grateful for that.

“In my early years into guitar playing I once came across Agboola Shadare’s video on the internet and that was the moment for me as I told myself I could do this and do it better. My passion was also ignited with the likes of George Benson, Earl Klugh, Kunle Ayo, etc.

“Earl Klugh has influenced my sound the most for his simple guitar playing yet rich approach to his music. It might be weird though but I also get inspired by Kirk Whalum ( A saxophonist) as I want to always have another feel from another musician not in my field and he has also influenced my sound.”

He has also been influenced by works of Professor Wole Soyinka.

The craft of composition he disclosed, “Comes while getting acquainted with my acoustic guitar, I get to enjoy my rhythms and I just decide to express myself to the sweet melody I am producing from my guitar.

For instance, “Jesu’Modupe” was a sound that resonated from a deep thought in my dark room that fateful night in 2020 when the pandemic was subsiding and things were gradually getting back to normal. Meanwhile, following the news, I was pained by the number of people that died during the pandemic globally and how a pandemic could shut down the whole world. This got me thinking and obviously reaffirming that God is the Almighty and worthy of our praises/thanks always.

“In the dark room, I walked up to where my guitar was, picked it up and started making melodies even though words/lyrics failed me at the moment. But then, I noticed I was playing this sweet rhythm consistently and decided to record it that night. I woke up the next morning enjoying the rhythm in my mind and picked up the guitar and continued the rhythm. Then words started connecting as my mind was intune with the reason I started making rhythms in the first place… I immediately told myself that I have an idea of how I want the music to sound, and here we are.”

As a guitarist, Great Kminor keeps pushing the boundaries of his instrument by having a routine for deliberate personal practice for finger picking, singing and vocal rehearsals by breaking complex skills to smaller components and learn from others so as to stay on top on the game.

His most challenging song remains, “Thankful” and he explains why.

“Thankful” has been the most challenging piece I’ve composed as it is a medley of my song and some other praise songs. I overcame that difficulty by working with a professional producer “Smokey Beatz” who was able to blend my song with other songs of the same genre which made the piece soothing to the ear and made the music come out great.

“So far, my musical style has evolved over the years and I see myself growing as an artiste by performing during live events, writing more signature songs, being active on social media and doing more networking.”

In the course of doing what he loves best, Great Kminor has many memorable experiences where he felt connected with the audience.

“One of my recent performances at Strawberry Fair, Cambridge, United Kingdom was where I felt most connected with the audience. It was a mixed audience and I found out that my music was relatable to them. They were receptive and were all blown away by my performance.”

On how collaborating with other artists have pushed his creativity in unexpected directions, the guitarist said, “I have collaborated with a few artistes on live performance (social event) and one of the collaborations that has always pushed my creativity in an unexpected direction is always with the sensational saxophonist ‘Adedoyin Oseni’.

“I’ve about three musical projects coming out before the year 2024 runs out, Alongside Listening party and Live recordings with lots of collaboration in the coming year.

“I have come across a lot of my colleagues niching out different genres of guitar music and this gives me the assurance that guitar music is sure to become a name in the music industry.”

As someone who has mastered both composition and performance, the artiste has a word for young musicians who aspire to reach his level of virtuosity.

“I advise young and aspiring musicians to acquire more skills, commit more time to rehearsals.

My music tutor used to say that “Your level of rehearsal determines your level of productivity”, so they should keep that in mind.