Aural or Visual Tuning?

[SSC Lab Computer 2]

Dear Listpeople:

    I have been delighted and even moved by the recent discussion of
questions about use of ETDs in quality tuning work.  As a result of your
thoughts, and a recent experience, I have decided to get an RCT.
    The experience is worth reporting: I went for a job interview at a
university.  For a tuning demonstration the professor asked me to tune a
piano which had just been tuned with an SAT!  He wanted to know if I
could improve it.  Yes, I believe I improved it just a little,
especially by deciding to clean up a few octaves over the break at the
expense of some frighteningly even 10ths.  But the truth is, the result
of my aural nitpicking of the machine tuning was probably better than
any aural tuning I've ever done. 
    They liked my tuning.  The prof. could actually tell where I'd
favored the octaves.  _Some_ of these people can really hear!  I
couldn't help wondering what would have happened if I had tuned first
and they'd asked the other guy to improve my work with the SAT.  Whew!
    I got the job, and left feeling a bit like John Henry: I'd beaten
the steam drill, but nearly died with my hammer in my hand... 
    From now on, I'm going to just tune, and give up proving.
    Will an RCT make me a better person? I had a PT100 once, and it
didn't help.
 
        Ed Sutton, RPT
        Wichita, KS for a little while longer.