The Bagpipe Society

Thoughts on overblowing

Over the years I have constantly been trying to refine my piping technique on half-closed pipes. One thing that I have taken particular interest in, is finding ways to overblow into the second register as cleanly and consistently as possible. It is common for pipers to employ single thumb grace notes or elaborate ornaments to jump into the second register. This can often sound brilliant.

However, sometimes it can affect the flow of a melody, particularly if the ornament used puts an unwanted stress in the wrong place. I began to wonder therefore, if it would be possible to play smoothly from any note in the lower register to any note in the second register without any ornament required as an alternative technique.

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