Greg
Thank you for those kind words. Names of tunes near enough as to make no difference.
It's funny you should mention the bellows shake (although I'm often not aware of how or, indeed, why I do these things) - I'm often just doodling on the box for hours exploring tiny things. Maybe the way a note swells/fades with different bellows movements, maybe an unusual ornamentation, chord shapes, dynamics. I drive my family mad.
I often get sweaty-palmed excited about the tiniest twists and turns within someone's playing - listening to a few seconds of a recording ad infinitem.
Get a copy of "The Duck Race" by John Kirkpatrick and listen over and over again. Then put the headphones on and listen for another few days. We all know he's an inspiration but do most of us realise just how innovative he is? And it's usually the tinest nuance. He never leaves the tune but plays around within it as though it's his own private playground. You don't need the big flashy arrangement to create excitement.
Think small, deliver huge.
Martin (very guilty of thread-creep)
Shouldn't we be discussing this over on mel.net?