I’m not 100% sure but I read that part as a little bit of a joke? Like in the context of the story, the author had just describe the fact that the piano sounded only a little better, they thought, during the concert. Possibly the difference was imperceptible to most of the crowd.
So I think chucking the Earth into the sun is intentionally being over-dramatic.
Actually I think ending it on a joke was not the best move, because it does muddle things a bit. The stakes are not so high but it does matter. The piano was not bad enough for the audience to notice, but it was bad enough for the player to notice. If it is bad enough to bother the person using it, it is bad enough to matter.
I mean, if the player is self-criticizing like most elite people do, they probably play better if they know everything, even the little stuff that the audience barely notices, is going right.
That is a reflection on the types of tool a good craftsman uses.
While a good craftsman can use some bad tools to good results, they almost always use good tools (not using good tools is often done to prove a point).
So I think chucking the Earth into the sun is intentionally being over-dramatic.
Actually I think ending it on a joke was not the best move, because it does muddle things a bit. The stakes are not so high but it does matter. The piano was not bad enough for the audience to notice, but it was bad enough for the player to notice. If it is bad enough to bother the person using it, it is bad enough to matter.
I mean, if the player is self-criticizing like most elite people do, they probably play better if they know everything, even the little stuff that the audience barely notices, is going right.