Majid Derakhshani was born in 1956 in Semnan. He became seriously involved in music at the age of nineteen, when he attended the Evening Music Conservatory at Tehran.

In 1976 he began to study music at the School of Fine Arts (University of Tehran). In 1977 he joined the Sheyda Ensemble. He was also a member of the Chavosh cultural Foundation since its creation.

He taught Tar and Setar at Chavosh, Roudaki, and the Technical Faculty of Tehran. In 1985, he founded the Nava ensemble and gave many concerts all over Europe. Toghether with other musicians, he also founded in 1991 the Nava Music Centre in Kohln, in Germany.

He owes his achievements to Mohammad Reza Lotfi, his former Tar professor.