Chiff?

SamWise · Post by **SamWise** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:00 am

I'm sure this has been asked many times, but if I put chiff, or indeed chiff? into the search function, I get, literally, every single post in every thread in the history of this forum. It's clever like that. So really, seriously now, what the hell does it mean?

Feadoggie · Post by **Feadoggie** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:09 am

what the hell does it mean?

"CHIFF: Part of the attack, or very first instant of speech, of a flue pipe. It is a clicking, consonant-like sound that serves to mark the entrance of each note in a moving passage. Chiff can be adjusted in voicing from being a very prominent part of the pipe's speech to being completely inaudible. It is often called articulation, and when not excessive it increases the clarity of polyphonic music."

From: http://organ.wicks.com/display_page?p=290&o=8

How the term is used here varies.

Feadoggie

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 12:11 pm

Chiff & Fipple - FAQ

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 12:13 pm

Feadoggie wrote:How the term is used here varies.

Yes it does. But it shouldn't.

The above definition from Feadoggie is correct. On a whistle, chiff is the transient "chirp" or attack that occurs at the beginning of a note when you move from one note to another using continuous breath, or start a note with a push of the breath.

Chiff is not breathiness, or scratchiness, or reediness, or tonal complexity. It's the chirp, and considered very desirable by many players as one of the key characteristics of the traditional Irish whistle sound.

In my experience, a good rule-of-thumb test for the overall chiffiness of a whistle is the note sequence d to B (2nd octave d to 1st octave B) using the following fingerings: xxxxxx -> xooxxx.

If you can produce a distinct chirp with this test, chances are that the whistle will produce a similar chirp on other chiffy note transtions.

Unfortunately, here on the board I almost never trust mentions of chiff or chiffiness unless accompanied by a clarification of "chirp" or "transient" or the like. Otherwise, there's no guarantee that the term is being used correctly.

Denny wrote:Chiff & Fipple - FAQ

Denny, I'm afraid that description is part of the problem. It implies that chiff is vague and hard to define. It's not ... see above.

Feadoggie · Post by **Feadoggie** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 12:52 pm

MTGuru wrote:Unfortunately, here on the board I almost never trust mentions of chiff or chiffiness unless accompanied by a clarification of "chirp" or "transient" or the like. Otherwise, there's no guarantee that the term is being used correctly

Can we then move on to "fipple"? It's interesting to me what has happened to the definition of that word since Dale's introduction of Chiff & Fipple to the Internet. Due to C&F's enourmous popularity coupled with the ubiquity of online encyclopedias that operate under the democratic notion of writing your own definitions, the word has come to have the meaning of the "mouthpiece of a wind instrument such as a recorder". It is more historically correct to be limited to the plug in the pipe or "a small wooden plug in a woodwind instrument or organ pipe that redirects air". Then there is the Urban Dictionary definition of fipple:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fipple

So, let's be clear what we are refering to when we use these terms in the future.

Oh, great example MTGuru!

Feadoggie

AlonE · Post by **AlonE** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:36 pm

chiff= my life!!!

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:45 pm

I'm not sure Dale deserves the blame ... er, I mean credit.

But yes, "fipple" is the plug or block - as in German Blockflöte = block flute = fipple flute = recorder.

I'm actually comfortable extending the strict definition to mean the whole sound-producing configuration of windway exit + window + labium/ramp/blade. But that's only part of the mouthpiece or head, and using mouthpiece/head = fipple is just wrong.

AlonE wrote:chiff= my life!!!

Pobrecito, qué triste!

Killaloe · Post by **Killaloe** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:10 pm

Ohhhh a fipple!!!! I see now! I was wondering where all the pic's of fipples went!

I thought the person who typed it had a lisp!!!

Thanks for the clarification

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:48 pm

MTGuru wrote:
Denny wrote:Chiff & Fipple - FAQ
Denny, I'm afraid that description is part of the problem. It implies that chiff is vague and hard to define. It's not ... see above.

uppity moderator....take it up with yer boss....the undisputed

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:54 pm

Denny wrote:uppity moderator....take it up with yer boss....the undisputed

Not unless I want to lose my executive parking space, and forego my invitation to the Christmas party.

free-feet · Post by **free-feet** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:56 pm

Try this...

Would i be correct in thinking that chiff is the sound caused in a musical pipe (such as an organ pipe) between when the air starts to flow and the pipe hits it's resonant note?

I'm thinking that the impedance (and therefore back pressure) of the pipe will not reach it's correct operating level until the pipe hits it's resonant frequency. This will not happen immediately that air is put into the pipe, only sometime after. Therefore air will flow more freely down the pipe only limited by resistance until the resonant frequency is reached and full impedance kicks in to make full back pressure thus giving the sound that is referred to as chiff.

Obviously different designs of pipes will be more or less efficient at reaching their resonant frequencies thus giving different amounts of chiff.

Just my thoughts on the subject, and i'm not saying i'm correct, so would be interested to know what people think about this.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 3:19 pm

MTGuru wrote:
Denny wrote:uppity moderator....take it up with yer boss....the undisputed
Not unless I want to lose my executive parking space, and forego my invitation to the Christmas party.

I thought not.....still tryin' for that intern?

AlonE · Post by **AlonE** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:09 pm

MTGuru wrote:I'm not sure Dale deserves the blame ... er, I mean credit. But yes, "fipple" is the plug or block - as in German Blockflöte = block flute = fipple flute = recorder.

I'm actually comfortable extending the strict definition to mean the whole sound-producing configuration of windway exit + window + labium/ramp/blade. But that's only part of the mouthpiece or head, and using mouthpiece/head = fipple is just wrong.

AlonE wrote:chiff= my life!!!
Pobrecito, qué triste!

xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD jajajajajakakjajk

ziggysp2000 · Post by **ziggysp2000** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:18 pm

Well I'm glad I read this, i was misusing chiff, haha

SamWise · Post by **SamWise** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:44 am

You know, I had absolutely no idea how many worms were in that can until now. Thank you all!