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?
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
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, 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. 
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
chiff= my life!!!
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.
Pobrecito, qué triste! 
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
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. 
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.
I thought not…still tryin’ for that intern?
xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD jajajajajakakjajk
Well I’m glad I read this, i was misusing chiff, haha
You know, I had absolutely no idea how many worms were in that can until now. Thank you all!
I agree
me too…
wasn’t the point
Could someone post some sound clips of a couple of notes comparing :
- a whistle with chiff
- a whistle with no chiff
Sorry, i just feel like splitting a few hairs today.
Chiff on a pipe organ can be easily ascertained as the pipes are driven by a compressor of some sort. Each compressor will be set at a given pressure and have a set volume reservoir for that air, therefore giving a pre-determined amount of chiff on any given pipe.
So how can anyone pick up a whistle and determine the amount of chiff on any given note when firstly, the air pressure being driven into the whistle at any given time is variable and determined by each player’s diaphragm power, and also the reservoir for that air, the lungs, is also different between each given player and changes all the time throughout playing. And the variance of the lung capacity also impacts upon the power of the diaphragm at any given time.
Also players of wind instruments will know that they continuously vary the attack on each note they play, which again impacts greatly on the amount of chiff achieved in doing so.
Ergo, chiff is therefore, in my opinion, an entirely subjective thing and really not worth the time of day mentioning when referring to a whistle.
If one person believes their whistle to be chiffy, then who is anyone else to argue?
So…the Chiff that can be named is not the True Chiff?
I am a total noob and I am really enjoying this discussion. I am curious also about the USE of Chiff.
It is my understanding that a cut, or a cran, and maybe even a tap should consist more of chiff and less of the tone of the cutting note (I might be talking about stylistic preference here). So chiff can be used as an articulation…and that’s what sets it apart from a grace note. At least with ITM.
Am I on the right track here?
y-nought