# Choir breathing



## Divico (Apr 22, 2022)

Hi,

do the inidividual singers align their breaths so I can archive a continuos sound?
or do you leave gaps for breathing like with programming woodwinds/brass?


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## gamma-ut (Apr 22, 2022)

They can to a reasonable extent. The technique is called staggered breathing: https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2021/04/how-to-sing-drone-of-staggering-beauty.html

Emulating it using samples is another matter. One technique might be to have a quieter base layer that drops out at each breathing point. I've not tried that though.


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## hannu (Apr 22, 2022)

Short answer is yes, but it of course depends on the musical style and arrangement and how many singers and parts you have.
From my personal experience in singing ~20 years in various chamber and male choirs on semi-professional level, professional singers and reasonably experienced amateurs alike do that regularly. If there are enough singers per part, it can be done virtually non-noticeably. I'd say it gets difficult if there's less than 3-4 singers per part, but a mixed chamber choir of 20 singers and 4 parts (soprano, alto, tenor & bass) can easily manage that. Good choirs can also minimise noticeable breathing on breaks and sing even long lines as a uniform part.


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