These days i tend to cringe anytime i see a hash whose keys are element indexes ... just use an array, but how about using HTML::TreeBuilder for this instead? I can't elaborate more because you have not said what you are doing with the stuff before you put it back together.

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)