Definition

Noun: A simple wind instrument, typically made of wood or plastic, that produces sound when the player blows air across a sharp edge (the fipple) at the mouthpiece. The instrument has a tubular body with finger holes to change the pitch.

Usage

The term "fipple pipe" refers to the instrument itself. It is a countable noun. * The musician played a traditional melody on a fipple pipe. * This type of fipple pipe has six finger holes.

Examples

• The shepherd carved his own fipple pipe from a piece of elder wood.
• In the museum, we saw an ancient fipple pipe made of bone.
• The sound of a fipple pipe is soft and flute-like.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in organology (the study of musical instruments) and historical music contexts to describe a specific class of duct flutes.
• It can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe other related terms.
  • fipple pipe construction
  • fipple pipe family

Variants and Related Words

• Fipple flute: A more common synonym for "fipple pipe." Both terms describe the same basic instrument type.
• Duct flute: The technical organological term for instruments like the recorder, tin whistle, and fipple pipe, where air is directed through a duct (windway) to the labium (edge).
• Recorder: A specific, sophisticated type of fipple pipe/duct flute with a thumb hole and seven finger holes.
• Tin whistle (Penny whistle): A specific, simple type of fipple pipe/duct flute, usually made of metal or plastic, with six finger holes.

Synonyms

• Fipple flute
• Duct flute (technical term)
• Whistle (in a general sense, though "whistle" can also refer to non-fipple instruments)

Related Idioms or Phrases

• There are no common idioms that specifically use the term "fipple pipe."

Noun

1. a tubular wind instrument with 8 finger holes and a fipple mouthpiece