Touhey played left-handed, in a mirror image of the typical position. He used concert-pitch instruments made by the Taylor brothers of Philadelphia. In performing dance music, he played fast but deviated from strict tempo to bring out the character of the tune. He used the regulators (three keyed pipes lying under the heel of the hand) not to keep the rhythm, but to emphasise the broader structure of the piece. He combined legato passages with "tight" (staccato) ornaments—runs, triplets and backstitching—as well as crans, all executed with the highest proficiency. However, he did not employ certain ornaments in common use today, such as raising the chanter off the knee to swell a note's volume and intensity. In these ways his style contrasts with the prominent influences on current piping who stayed in Ireland—Willie Clancy, Johnny Doran, Seamus Ennis, John Potts, and Leo Rowsome.