That is known as "difference" tuning and does in fact give the impression of a louder, fuller sound.
Two single reeds in unison sound lifeless and not necessarily louder or more distinct.
And 1 -2 cents apart is not discernible by most human ears.. in other words you really can't put your finger on it but it's there.
Tuning the A flat turned out really fine om my Hohner 1040, as long as I play in the key of C. But as you can see on my second chart the A this time will be +4 cent, as I plan to play mostly in G, and I think it will work fine. I consider to make the F +15 as you wrote. It gives a nice slightly sharpened lowered 7th in G. (I now see I used the wrong term "minor 7th" in my first post).
As for the wetness, I plan to make it 5 cent by the middle C. I believe that these industrially produced Hohner reeds don't really sound so good tuned dry as for example the handmade Italian reeds do.
Christian,
Thanks for your reply.
Yes I'll play Cajun music, but tuning a one-row accordion in just 3rds and 5ths (and sometimes high 4ths) is suitable for any kind of music IMO, as long as you don't play along with other 12TET tuned instruments. My question was specifically about the tuning of A and F.
I just checked Lepistö out, seems to be a great musician, thanks for the tip.
The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week
