Overblowing
Overblowing is producing a different note in a wind instrument by forcing air harder. This can be a deliberate technique to get additional notes, or an inadvertent problem which results in notes other than those intended.
In simple instruments, overblowing can cause a change into a different register. For example, in the Irish tin whistle, the upper octave is got by using the same fingering as the lower octave, by blowing harder. In most more developed instruments, this transition from lower to higher registers is aided by a "register hole" which encourages a vibration node at a particular point in the pipe, causing the vibration pattern to change, so overblowing is not so important.
Overblowing with bagpipes
With bagpipes, overblowing is a problem that arises when playing the bagpipes. A phenomenon perhaps unique to piping, it is the most common reason for unsteady tone.
When a piper plays, a rhythm is set up between blowing into the reed, or modifying the existing one to take more air.
- Practicing with a manometer to increase steadiness.
