<HTML>In a message dated 2/18/02 7:51:27 AM Central Standard Time, GPRogers1 writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">But there is no inharmonicity in reeds like piano strings   Question for Bill Bemmer:  I wonder how a HT would sound on a accordion or reed organ? This might be a fun experiment to try. </BLOCKQUOTE> I have a Cajun accordion (the diatonic, button style).  It plays only a C major scale and some notes are Push notes and some are Pull.  Consequently, there is nothing that requires any tempering at all.  You can have pure 5ths and pure 3rds too. I actually had my 5ths tempered *wide* by 2 cents and my 3rds tempered wide by 1 1/2 cents (a very slow, virtually inaudible beat).  This gives the instrument a very big, bold, clean and in tune sound which makes the usual tuning sound flat and "off" by comparison. The Cajun musicians do not like any tremolo tuning which they call "wet tuning".  However, the Zydeco musicians who come from the same area do like that sound and usually use a chromatic accordion. I think the issue about temperament for either a reed organ or chromatic accordion is analogous to that of the piano.  Most people will *assume* that ET is the only choice but at the same time want some kind of *color* so the unisons are deliberately mistuned.  The possibilities are unlimited.  I would start with 1/7 Comma Meantone with pure unisons.  That is my hypothesis but I have very good reasons for thinking that way. I have seen people write that reeds have no inharmonicity but when tuning my accordion, I could measure some although it is a small amount.  If it is not true inharmonicity, then it is something which mimics it but either way, it means that the higher reeds can be tuned sharper by a cent or two, thereby stretching the octaves just a bit. By the way, I did *not* attempt to tune my own accordion.  I had the maker, Larry Miller do it according to my specifications.  To see him work, you would know not to mess around with this unless you plan to get into this kind of work yourself.  He feels most comfortable working with a Strobe Tuner although he does have an SAT I. He and his wife are the friendliest, most accommodating people I have ever met and both of them are artists in their own right.  Jackie Miller, his wife,  makes authentic Cajun Mardi Gras costumes and masks.  Larry will invite you into his shop and teach you some basic skills if this is the kind of work you would like to learn.  They have a nice home and feel insulted if you won't stay at their place rather than at a motel.  You can also park your trailer or RV there. They live about 30 miles west of Lafayette, Louisiana outside of a small village called Iota.  This is an area of Louisiana where Cajun French is still spoken and it is Larry's mother tongue.  If you speak French at all, he can understand you but you may not understand his dialect. Here is the URL for his interesting website: http://accordions.com/bonteecajun/ Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin <A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-</A> </HTML>