  The frequency of maximum oscillation power measured in dwarfs and giants
exhibiting solar-like pulsations provides a precise, and potentially accurate,
inference of the stellar surface gravity. An extensive comparison for about 40
well-studied pulsating stars with gravities derived using classical methods
(ionisation balance, pressure-sensitive spectral features or location with
respect to evolutionary tracks) supports the validity of this technique and
reveals an overall remarkable agreement with mean differences not exceeding
0.05 dex (although with a dispersion of up to ~0.2 dex). It is argued that
interpolation in theoretical isochrones may be the most precise way of
estimating the gravity by traditional means in nearby dwarfs. Attention is
drawn to the usefulness of seismic targets as benchmarks in the context of
large-scale surveys.
