dumb question
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- Dale
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Oh, if only it WERE a dumb question. It's not. It's a mysterious word. From the chiff & fipple FAQ:
Q: What is Chiff? What is Fipple? Why 'Chiff & Fipple'?
Well, the last question is the easiest to answer. I chose two words from the vocabulary of whistle players and stuck them together because it sounded funny to me. I almost named the website and the newsletter "Drainage and Seepage Quarterly" because I thought THAT sounded funny, but as has so often been true, mercifully so, my wife talked me out of it. The word "fipple" has come to be used to refer to the sound generation device of whistles, recorders, and similar instruments. A stream of air goes through a duct and then gets split by a blade. More precisely, the term fipple refers to a more specific part of mouthpiece--actually it would be the wooden plug, for example, on a Clarke whistle. "Chiff" is a hard word to define. It's a quality, present in varying amounts, in whistles. I'm told by smart people that it is a term that comes from pipe organ builders. In fact, often keyboard synthesizers will have a preset sound called "Chiff' or "Chiff Organ" or something. I asked Michael Copeland to define chiff for me when I spoke to him on September 2, 1998. He said that it refers to nonmusical aspects of the sound of a whistle. It has to do with the attack of the sound; the amount of "edge" in the sound. Something like that.
Q: What is Chiff? What is Fipple? Why 'Chiff & Fipple'?
Well, the last question is the easiest to answer. I chose two words from the vocabulary of whistle players and stuck them together because it sounded funny to me. I almost named the website and the newsletter "Drainage and Seepage Quarterly" because I thought THAT sounded funny, but as has so often been true, mercifully so, my wife talked me out of it. The word "fipple" has come to be used to refer to the sound generation device of whistles, recorders, and similar instruments. A stream of air goes through a duct and then gets split by a blade. More precisely, the term fipple refers to a more specific part of mouthpiece--actually it would be the wooden plug, for example, on a Clarke whistle. "Chiff" is a hard word to define. It's a quality, present in varying amounts, in whistles. I'm told by smart people that it is a term that comes from pipe organ builders. In fact, often keyboard synthesizers will have a preset sound called "Chiff' or "Chiff Organ" or something. I asked Michael Copeland to define chiff for me when I spoke to him on September 2, 1998. He said that it refers to nonmusical aspects of the sound of a whistle. It has to do with the attack of the sound; the amount of "edge" in the sound. Something like that.
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Thanks Dale,
It is all so clear now.......
Actually, I was wondering if it might be something like the sounds you get when you blow over the top of the fipple to get that "air whistle" sound. Those extra "whooshy(?)" sounds you get apart from, but in addition to, that clear pure tone of the whistle. Sort of like rough edges. Jeez, I guess I'm not making it any better.
Blaine
It is all so clear now.......
Actually, I was wondering if it might be something like the sounds you get when you blow over the top of the fipple to get that "air whistle" sound. Those extra "whooshy(?)" sounds you get apart from, but in addition to, that clear pure tone of the whistle. Sort of like rough edges. Jeez, I guess I'm not making it any better.
Blaine
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OK, I'm still totally confused, I got a nick on the blade of my Generation tweeking it, sharpened it, now it's hard to blow and rather airy and oh, heck, it's only a Generation. I think what I'm hearing is Chiff. I'll probaby name my next dog Chiff! Down Chiff! Bad Chiff! Maybe I should name my whistle Chiff!
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- WyoBadger
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- brownja
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I have a Clare two piece and it seems quite "chiffy" to me. I have two bad feadog's and a generation that sound kinda of buzzy and that's not it. I have a good Feadog and a Susato that are nice and pure. The Clare has something else going on that's (Ha Ha) hard to define. It actually adds a bit of character to faster tunes but is irritating on airs. Does that explain it?, probably not but it's the best I can do in words, Like trying to define "purple".
Cheers,
jb
Cheers,
jb