> So the thread about student lutes and costs has got my brain working... > and let me state right away that by profession I am a business man and > not am musician.
Then as a businessman you know enough to begin with a market survey. The mailing lists of the various lute societys are a good first indicator, and are not encouraging. Future growth might be a reasonable expectation if affordable instruments were available, but the US has been steadily decreasing the resources it devotes to k-12 music in school. I live on the eastern end of long island, one of the more affluent areas in terms of school budgets in the US; but even here the teachers here two decades ago who were possible sources for private lessons have long ago been layed off as school budgets declined. There was an opportunity two decades ago, interest in early music and lute in particular was reflected by CD bins with sections for lute music and individual lute performers in Borders books and Barnes & Nobles as well as large city specialty stores like the Harvard and MIT coops. Those bins are now empty. Several enterprising luthiers have in the past considered how to improve the manufacturing process, even in the context of a one-man shop; as I have already stated, the factory approach is not appealing for the kind of craftsman who turns to luthiery (often leaving behind a more lucrative career making sawdust and kitchen cabinets). Since then there have been some technological breakthrus using computer controlled machines and lasers. The machines are expensive for an individual to make the investment, but can sometimes be hired out, and the software that programs them can be had seperately to minimize onsite setup. It needs exploration, and some funding. Lutes are not the only instruments to consider. -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
