OldPan wrote:
I’m sorta returning to the flute after a lay off. What the heck is a Chiff (I know what a fipple is)?

Chiff is: " the initial sound made by air leaving the mouth of a wind instrument (such as an organ flue pipe or a flute) at the attack of a note" according to Merriam Webster. It's when the initial air stream splits into two on hitting the edge. It is an initial short transient as the air moves from static to vibrating. It's a highly characteristic sound with lots of upper harmonics. The term is most often used by organ builders. Some pipes are deliberately voiced to have a lot of chiff, as part of the sound, and other ranks are voiced to minimise it. It adds interesting colour to the initial attack. Any wind instrument that produces sound with an edge tone has a greater or lesser degree of chiff. Recorders can have quite a lot. Whistles have it, and so do flutes, both wooden and metal. The design of the embouchure hole and the players embouchure affect the amount. It's fipples that make chiff!