Any Scottish pipers out there? Because from what I can recall (and someone correct me if I'm remembering it a bit wrongly) the top "C" on Scottish Highland(?) pipes - which actually sounds at A but is so sharp that it's almost a Bb - is greater than an octave above its lower C. To any ears accustomed to the equal-tempered scale, the top C on the pipes sounds out of tune (sharp), but is correct according to the pipe scale.

In view of the points Frank has made, I wonder how much our tendency to "round off" into the equal-tempered scale (ditto the dearth of analysis of micro-tonal singing & playing) is due to the simple fact that the micro-tones can't be accurately written down, so just get left out? If this music is being reproduced by any process other than hearing and passing it on live, it has no language; and sooner or later it's going to be preserved in writing, hence its impoverished state. The same is true for the elaborate Celtic ornamentation too.