Prasanna Ramaswamy (better known as Guitar Prasanna), is a known for performing Carnatic music on the guitar. He also plays jazz, progressive rock, and world fusion.

Early life and background

Prasanna grew up in Chennai, India and developed an interest for the guitar at the age of five after hearing his neighbor play. He received his first guitar when he was ten years old and would try to play Tamil and Hindi film songs and imitate the sounds of his sister's Carnatic singing with the instrument. His interest in Western pop music developed when his father's colleague gave him some cassette tapes with songs by the Bee Gees, ABBA, Toto, Peaches and Herb, and the Pointer Sisters. In high school, he became known as a guitarist with local band XIth Commandment. While studying naval architecture at the Indian institute of Technology, Madras (where he also met his wife Shalini), he toured India with his rock bands (The Haze and then Shakuni & the Birds of Prey), covering songs by Santana, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rush, Steely Dan, Jethro Tull, and the Scorpions and compositions like "Peaceful" and "Blues for Saraswati". Prasanna's musical development led him to blues and jazz. After working as a software consultant, he gave up a career in engineering and IT and moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music where he majored in Jazz and Classical Composition.

Education

Prasanna received a Bachelor's degree in Naval Architecture from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1992. He also graduated magna cum laude from the Berklee College of Music, Boston.

Educator

Influence

Prasanna is the mentor of Maya Neelakantan, a ten-year-old Guitar prodigy who auditioned at the America's Got Talentseason 19 in June 2024, and made a global sensation with her Carnatic rendering of the "Last Resort" by Papa Roach.

Discography

As leader

Special projects

As guest

Soundtracks

Composer

Film

Dance Theater