Good thing about being called "choppy", is I'll be expected to play that way. Whew, that's a load off.

The part on octaves was good. When I'm learning a song by ear from a recording it's not always easy to know when and when not to use them. Also chords are some times hard to make out.

For me, "smoothness" is more than anything else the result of good timing, and this is, I think, essential in Cajun music.
Playing in time becomes much harder when you constantly play octaves, because you have to change hand position all the time.
Every time you play a single button on a CA you are actually playing a double octave : every one has four reeds!
Playing octaves is nice, because you get a fuller sound, but playing in a flow is IMHO even nicer. And the expressive effect of an octave vanishes if you use it all the time.
Is this bullsh*t or makes it sense?

Makes perfect sense. Thanks. I think part of the fun is trying to figure out where to put them.

Bryan, will you change the name of this thread? It sounds gay.

Have you ever really listened to your voice mail greeting?

Ooooh! Touche! I should know better than try to red-ass a fireman . . .