Guitar Workshop - Making of Instruments
Chaturangui - In India 'Chatu' means 4(four), and 'Ang' means attribute. Chaturangui means a Guitar with additional blend of four tones. This is a 22 stringed first hollow neck Indian Classical Guitar. It blends the tone of Rudra Veena, Sarode, Sitar and Violin. All the Classical guitars of Debashish have Front Chikari and are being played by index finger and not with the thumb. There is one Western version of this guitar and one Indian model. All the recordings available and done before 2002, are made on Chaturangui. Previously it was known as Hindustani Slide guitar." This is the first hollow neck Classical Guitar made out of solid wood. The idea developed in my mind from the structure and tone of the weissenborn I play. This has enhanced the depth in tonality and provided a better blend of treble and Bass".
Please write a section about your guitar workshop.
All the soundscapes involving designing the instrument Guitar into Chaturangui Gandharvi Devangui or Anandi - was more to introduce newness in the traditional Indian Music as well a series of new age acoustic variety of Slide Guitar.
After I met several western luthiers and visited their workshops in USA and Canada, I redesigned my Chaturangui inner rib cages, diaphragm string gauges position and arrangements of the strings of my former design made in 1978.
Already a growing interest and demand in the students for Chaturangui and Debashish style of music increasing.
My heart was to support indian luthier families and craftsmen to get work, that’s why making an adjustment and feel personally happy with a western company making my designed or playing instrument never pleased or felt in me secured. So an workshop idea grown in my head and gradually I’ve nurtured a old family of guitar making and trained them into my style guitar making in kolkata
Over the years I can see now, the root sound of India and the global reflections from these kolkata made my own created instruments have deep traditional sound- which I feel extreamly happy and proud about.
Specify:
-year (month is optional) when you opened your shop
January 1995.
-what motivated you to do so ( Written above)
Describe the people you met along the way who helped you in creating and designing your guitar. ( The idea of making chaturangui came in mind what I describe as God particles- a golden flake travelled in my brain released in air by Goddesss of Music and art Saraswati) Any famous people or companies that gave you a class? ( mentioned above)
Santa Cruz guitar factory, Michael Dun Guitar luthier and Larry Fishman Sound engineer has been the biggest influence and support)
Talk about who the workers are and describe a little bit about their background and history and why you are choosing the to help you in your shop. Mention how the creation of your guitar workshop has supported these individuals.
These Guitar luthiers are making traditional guitars once the Europeans British army left in india - they were trained by those short time visiting musicians for repairing locally their instruments violin Viola Chelo or nylon string guitars or other European instruments - early in 20th century.
One of such family has been selected to make them understand these are different instruments and how these sounds or work.
There are center workshop - where sawing of wood, sanding of wood , molding in shape in Dices - bracing fixing Lining making sound board making fitting and asembling the body parts and polishing done in different layers -
Finer sound developing is done in a different location 70 kilometers away.
And curving and engraving is done in 275 kilometers away by another family.
These are very precious artisans and all our guitars are made by many loving and caring native hands. Except electric light or Fan nothing used mechanically electrically or digitally.
These productions are completely indian.
And I Debashish Bhattacharya have created each instrument and signed off before the packaging has been done for delivery.
My motivation has many dynamics - first hand spirituality learned from life of my Idol Swami Vivekananda. Art and artisan development inspired by Rabindranath Tagore.
Musical sound and life of Allauddin Baba is another chapter. And of course a giving tradition of my both parents ancestors are a direct drive. The final motivation is always to set a trend of New Slide guitar family rooted in Kolkata India was my first and foremost motif.
Creating his own guitar workshop in India
Debashish provides supports to 6 guitar Luthier families of Bengal by providing them his patented designs to produce his instruments and sell them globally. A kind human being he is still seeking blessing from almighty to learn and grow every day.
Since his childhood, Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya has challenged his own cultural upbringing of classical Indian music as well as the structural design of slide guitars by inventing an entirely new instrument to show his music community locally and internationally that classical Indian music can be played on a non-traditional Indian instrument. For Debashish, it was not just any random instrument he wanted to prove but a completely customized slide guitar that would redefined the approach, practice, and performance of ragas as well as many other genres and soundscapes that can be captured on his globally recognized instrument: Chaturangui.