in tune, perfection

[Susan Kline]

At 12:01 PM 1/1/2002 -0500, Tom wrote:
>You make a very good observation. Are we at the supreme accuracy or is the
>optimal level just around the corner?

In my (always-humble?) opinion, the accuracy of the SAT has long exceeded
the level of practical usefulness. By the time you're honing to a tenth
of a cent, there's no point whatever in seeking a finer grade of abrasive.

Looking for "perfection" in accuracy may be a fun hobby, but only if it
doesn't distract our attention from issues which have far more effect
on the value of our work: setting up an ETD (if used) for the most musically
useful settings for a given piano, and other critical factors like
stability, and improvement of tone and touch. Even noise abatement (getting
that darned little click or squeak to disappear) is more important than
persuading a box to approve of a difference inaudible even to musicians.

Happy New Year, everyone ...

Susan Kline