{"id":17254,"date":"2024-07-08T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mi.edu\/?p=17254"},"modified":"2024-07-03T11:32:00","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T18:32:00","slug":"mi-graduate-spotlight-jayanta-dasgupta-audible-steel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mi.edu\/in-the-know\/mi-graduate-spotlight-jayanta-dasgupta-audible-steel\/","title":{"rendered":"MI Graduate Spotlight: Jayanta Dasgupta of Audible Steel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jayanta Dasgupta is a professional musician, the founder of <\/span>Audible Steel <\/a><\/strong>and a partner at Electrical Components Manufacturers, India. <\/span>Jay studied guitar at Musicians Institute in 1993, and has been playing professionally since then. He has performed at all major venues in India and several others across the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He has opened for Buddy Guy at the very first Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai, India; and for Bobby Whitlock at Puravandara Blues Festival in Bangalore, India; and has performed live with Van Wilks, the guitar legend of Austin, TX. He also co-authored a song with Bobby Whitlock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jay\u2019s band was the house band at Someplace Else, Kolkata, one of India\u2019s greatest live music venues, for 23 years. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist. <\/span>During this same time, in his role as a partner at Electrical Components Manufacturers, Jay oversaw the design, manufacturing and implementation of sheet metal products.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the early 2000s,<\/span> he became the caretaker of a large vintage guitar collection. Through this experience, he realized the important role of high quality aftermarket guitar parts in restoring the original tone and aesthetics of a priceless vintage instrument. As a professional guitar player with deep experience in sheet metal manufacturing, he founded <\/span>Audible Steel, which manufactures premium aftermarket Strat saddles. We caught up with Jay to chat about his time at Musicians Institute and how it impacted his current multi-faceted career in the music industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where did you first find your love for music and why did you choose to come to MI? What program were you enrolled in?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My love for music started with the discovery of a Beatles single in my uncle\u2019s collection. I was probably in elementary school at that time. After I heard that first Beatles song, I started regularly listening to two radio programs in Calcutta: Lunchtime Variety on Saturday afternoons and Musical Band Box on Sunday afternoons. Through these programs I discovered the music of Otis Redding, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Derek & the Dominos, and more.<\/p>\n

I first heard about Musicians\u2019 Institute as a teenager in Goa. I met many American and European tourists who were visiting Goa. Several of them knew MI alumni, and when they found out about my interest in music, they suggested I look into MI.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Later on, when I started playing professionally and recording commercials, I noticed that the keyboard players in the studios seemed to know more about music \u2013 beyond just playing. When I asked the studio director about this depth of knowledge, he suggested furthering my music education.<\/p>\n

So I talked to a couple of MI alumni to learn about their experience, and contacted the MI admissions office for information. Once I received the material and saw the list of faculty, I was blown away!<\/p>\n

I enrolled in the guitar program, and received a Diploma in Professional Guitar from Musicians Institute in 1993.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What was the most important thing you learned at MI and how did it impact your current (and future) success?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I can name three important things that I learned at MI that shaped my career and allowed me to succeed professionally.<\/p>\n

Discipline.<\/strong> Being disciplined about practicing my instrument (what to practice, how to practice) and being disciplined about managing my time, have been critical in setting and maintaining a strong foundation.<\/p>\n

Listening.<\/strong> I learned how to listen as a musician at MI, which includes developing an ear, making friends with all the notes (as each note has a color and texture), and listening to other musicians on stage when performing in an ensemble.<\/p>\n

Playing with other people<\/strong>. When playing live as an ensemble, it\u2019s important to find your space to play. Players are like painters on silence. If I fill up the silence, it becomes noise. At MI, I learned to ask \u201cwhere can I enrich the song?\u201d I learned how to use silence economically and understand timing (where and when to play), and how to be in context.<\/p>\n

Talking with faculty and others in the industry, about making music and coping with life issues and challenges, I benefited from their wisdom about living in this world as a musician.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned earlier, the important lessons I learned at MI impacted my career directly:<\/p>\n