 He began his musical training with Shankarrao Sapre of Gwalior, a disciple of V. D. Paluskar, in Nagpur.After this, he studied under various musicians such as Sureshbabu Mane of Kirana gharana, Asad Ali Khan of Patiala gharana, Aman Ali Khan and Anjanibai Malpekar of Bhendibazaar gharana, and Ramkrishna Vaze of Gwalior.Dinanath Mangeshkar, a direct disciple of Vazebuwa, is said to have had the greatest influence over Deshpande.