Tuning forks (and ETD's)

[JIMRPT@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 10/31/1999 8:11:21 AM, Ed F. wrote:

<< Greetings, 
      We need to define "better".  For many, "more accurate" means  better ,>>

ED;
 You probably shouldn't start a post to those who number among their midst a 
large percentage of individuals who might have gotten a "Greetings" letter 
from their 'friends and neighbors'.. :-)

  We have a tendency to equate "more accurate" with "better" and your point 
is well taken. Spell checkers are tremendously "accurate" in their function 
but there is no awareness as to proper usage of that "accuracy"..........I 
think that the same applies to the standard, i.e., non individualized and 
stored tuning, usage of the SATs "accuracy". Just as a spell checker will 
tell us that the word 'appropriate' is spellled correctly, an SAT will tell 
us that a particular 'G#' is set "accurately"....what neither will do is tell 
us whether the useage is "accurate", appropriate, or even meaningful within a 
given context.
 With spelling the context is an easily understood, grammatically correct, 
sentence structure. With the SAT the context would be a tonally correct 
overall tuning based on an "accurately" set temperament.  

  With the piano, as with language, "accuracy" does not 'automatically' 
equate to "better" and you can mess up a tuning with the more "accurate" SAT 
just as quickly as you can mess up a piano's finish with a more "accurate" 
high tech screwdriver :-) 
  As has been said before and will be said again I imagine....the SAT, and 
its "accuracy", is just a tool and can be misused, have too much faith and 
dependance placed in it and produce many inferior tunings as a 
result.................used properly, and this varies with the skill and 
usage of individuals, it is the best thing since GRITS baby!  Misused, it 
would serve better as a paperweight.
Just another way of saying the same things :-)
Jim Bryant (FL)