Ok, I checked Search and got just about every thread that has ever been posted. So then I checked my own and all the major on-line dictionaries I could find. There seems to be no such word as “chiff” but it gets used here a lot 
Would somebody like to tell me what it means? Is it wind instrument or whistle specific? Thanks.
“Chiff” is a term that can have a number of meanings, one of which refers to the non-musical rustling sound a wind instrument may make as a note is blown, but in the moment before the note actually sounds. It describes the sound made during the “attack,” if you are familiar with that term. Some whistles have more chiff than others.
The note itself commonly drowns out the “chiff,” but not always, so the term can also refer to breathy sounds that may accompany the note in some whistles or other woodwinds. In my experience it is less commonly used in this way.
Ah! Thanks! That’s pretty much what I thought it was, but am wondering if the sound my D whistle makes if I tongue it too hard is considered chiff. It’s a disgusting sharp sound just before the note plays and slightly delays the on-set of the “real” note.
On 2002-03-24 13:54, Kendra wrote:
Ah! Thanks! That’s pretty much what I thought it was, but am wondering if the sound my D whistle makes if I tongue it too hard is considered chiff. It’s a disgusting sharp sound just before the note plays and slightly delays the on-set of the “real” note.
You’re welcome.
I’m not sure of the cause of that sharp sound, but will hazard a guess that you may be attacking a note in the lower register with a little too much breath pressure for your whistle. If this is correct, then what’s happening is that the whistle is almost, but not quite, jumping to the second octave until your lowered breath pressure drops it back to the first. You might try playing the passage without tonguing ( legato is the term ) and see how that works. When you’ve got the change down smoothly, then bring back the tonguing if it’s necessary for your interpretation of the piece.
If it’s happening in the second octave, which I doubt because you said you were tonguing too hard, then you might not be using enough breath pressure. In this case the whistle would drop towards the first octave until you corrected it, and the remedy would be similar to the first case.
Others may have good advice to offer you as well.
I would describe chiff as a percussive tonal quality inherint in the whistle itself much like the `chop´rhythm sound sought after by bluegrass mandolin players and is extremely subjective and open to interpretation.Neil has described it well. Peace,Mike
The breathy sound of organ pipes;
also of whistles. A large part
of the meaning of life, too.
Chiff is the deep awareness of whistlers that all things are transitory and that human ambition is vanity, just like “chiff before the wind.”
Gawd, that’s beautiful! And
whistlers who lack that profound
awareness get into
‘misschiff.’ Get it?
Chiff off, mate. 
Bet your favorite group is the
Chifftains. Oh, this is wonderful!
No, but they do play a nice version of “Chiffs of Moher”.
Gee, aren’t you a chiff off the 'ol block.
Tee-hee-hee!! I just LOVE those puns!
Hello there Jim! Was good meeting you on Saturday. You surely do have some gorgeous whistles. Thanks for recommending that I visit this message board!
StarrM, welcome aboard. Did Jim show you the sterling silver Copeland with engraved leaf-patteren that he bought secretly? Does it have a lot of chiff, Jim, eh?
You mustn’t listen to Bloomfield,
Starr. Secretly he chaffs at chiff!
Did you see my little story about
the market on Saturday? It’s below–
‘OT: Searching for the Easter Bunny.’
Glad you’re here! Best
I think I will change my name to “Miss Chiff”
A very electronics-knowledgable friend told me that “chiff” is the third harmonic of the funcamental note. Pipe organs (and probably whistles, too) typically kick in with the third harmonic a few instants before the main note sounds. Good electronic organs, ones designed to sound like pipe organs, simulate this response.
Growing up my dad used to tease us by “Wixing up his mords” For example, instead of saying let’s go out for Fish & Chips it was always Shish & Fips…
I suppose now I should adjust it to “Let’s go out for Chiff & Fipps”
Deb
On 2002-03-25 20:26, Rob wrote:
A very electronics-knowledgable friend told me that “chiff” is the third harmonic of the funcamental note. Pipe organs (and probably whistles, too) typically kick in with the third harmonic a few instants before the main note sounds. Good electronic organs, ones designed to sound like pipe organs, simulate this response.
Very interesting. Third harmonic counting the fundamental? Meaning, would it be the second octave or the fifth above the first octave?