Phalese wrote: "It is so amusing to hear Edin (in an interview for the DG Mag) say he doesn't think you have to read 30 books or be part of a lute cult to be able to play the lute well. But I think that reading 30 books about the lute and being a member of a lute society (which is I suppose what he means) probably does help you to understand the music more deeply."
Even notice that the only people who say it's not important to read books or know things or become expert about particular subjects are those who have never bothered to do it? Like the legions of comfortable music critics who have never actually played or studied music. It's a self-serving argument, but not particularly convincing. Cheers, Jim p.s. Highly amused by "Sting, where is thy death?" -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
