Its bore is conical like the shawm, so it overblows the octave. Several notes of the upper register are useable. The rauschpfeife's screaming sound, full of overtones, gives it enough carrying power to be used outdoors, unlike the other reed-cap instruments. A famous woodcut.
Several sizes survive in collections in Berlin and Prague covering sizes from soprano to bass.
The larger sizes have a little-finger key and a fontanelle for the lowest note as well as upward extension keys operated by the index finger for the upper range. Modern replicas include sopranino, soprano, alto, and tenor sizes. This weakens the sound of some tones and produces rather unsteady results when played by less experienced performers. Musica Antiqua 's rauschpfeife is a soprano by Moeck.