The purpose of the Streb wasn't "cajun" besides the fact that he could not build a Cajun accordeon because he is not a Cajun..

They are 2 ad 2 1/2 rows built for key changes and tonality changes

The majority of these are being sold in England.. kand of the D/G

I am certain that these boxes could be programmmed for a 4 reed just intonation allowing for a "Cajun" sound... but would suck in cross row playing .. the adopted style of the Brit D/G players.. and C/F and G/C etc

My cat's love the accordion too. You'd think it would hurt their ears. They all seem to go into this trance when I play.

...what a disturbingly amusing conversation... Alex -- yuh gotta fan here! I have to admit, cat is absolutely delicious. Typically, I stuff them with my favorite sausage -- but that's so time-consuming and messy, I end up having to take a cat nap and never end up eating it.

I guess an electronic accordion would have its merits. It really wouldn't matter if it sounded exactly like a Cajun accordion as long as the notes and blends were there. It could be used as an interim practice device as it would never replace being able to play the "real deal" acoustically.

I think it really boils down to setting aside a time and place to practice the acoustic box. Personally, I don't want an audience when I'm hashing-out new tunes or techniques. It can't be much fun to listen to the riffing repetitiveness or to witness the new faces I might invent. But it is nice to have someone around to answer the phone or bring me another beer.

I've found that there's no better place to practice than by myself. I usually have a box handy when the wife and kid are running errands. If I'm on a roll when they return, I usually truck it to the back room of the house. A walk-in clothes closet, a six-pack, and a stool make for a perfect acoustically-ideal setting.

R!CK

Hi ya'll. Since i worked, besides being a die hard acoustic player, for years with electronic synths, samplers, either hard- or software based, maybe it's important to realize that you'll never be able to completely imitate the true overtones, resonances, tonal interferencies and dynamics of a true acoustic instrument. Some are easier to simulate, like a clarinet maybe, but electronics still won't work for the complicated sounds of lets say a cajun accordion. The acoustic modelling of synths and software, f.i used in some yamaha and korg products, is still in an early stage of development; great sounds, similar sounding maybe, but still linger only in an "a-like-ish" ball park. So lets stay low; buy and play the real thing .... regs, nout

Appreciate the comments on acoustic vs synth/samplers - to me, they're two completely different worlds. Played keyboards for many years before discovering the Cajun accordion, and having a foot in both worlds is big fun. Nothing beats a great acoustic piano or Hammond organ, but the accordion is a big plus in the "sound per pound" department.

Electronic instruments are an essential compromise for most gigging keyboard players, who need portability and a big variety of sounds. Plus, the sky's the limit on what one can do with the right electronic instrument. Having an electronic version of the Cajun accordion, though? Not sure about that one. Having the button box "interface" as a controller would be cool, and with midi you could use it to play about anything you could imagine. It just wouldn't be the same as an air-breathing, reed vibrating accordion, though.

My favorite gig? Playing B3 organ in a kickin' Zydeco band. Traditional? Probably not, but it sure is fun.

I've been working on a resophonic accordion this past year. It still sounds fairly awful , no matter how I play it, but requires no power source, batteries or solar cells.

Happy New Year Cajuns! ;~)
Tweed