Quoting myself:
universal-sign-for-the-music-to-stop (clenched fist)
Is that really universal? Would you guys understand it?
How about other signs:
touch the top of your head: take it from the top
point towards your back:go into the bridge/chorus
point a finger to the ground and make a circle: stay on the verse/chorus
index finger raised: last time
Any more? What do you guys use?
Thumbs up.... Modulate
Hand shaped like a C.... Chorus
1 finger ........... 1st verse
2 finger............ 2nd verse... etc
one finger in the air making a lasso loop.... loop the refrain or chorus end.
hand making a neck slicing motion.... cut the music minimal drums
Here's how it works at my church:
Fingers shaped like C=Chorus
1 Finger=1st verse
2 Fingers=2nd verse
Point up=Modulate
FIngers move in circle=Repeat
Palm in the air=End
It is not cool:
The first one, I'll just have to tell the story. There was this pastor who came to our church (very wierd, he brought this whole little agency of people with him. They had walkie-talkies and everything else. one man sat up in the choir stand with us). My choir was finished and his choir was coming up, so i was waiting for them to get out my way so i could go down to the audience. well, he didn't bring any musicians with him, but he could play (i guess you could say he played), but he said "stand by." the first song was "The Lord is Blessing Me" in B-flat. He was not that good, but he didn't stop playing. I guess he didn't know the second song, because the choir started by themselves, and by the time they were all singing on the same key, the pastor was lost on some key. he finally just got up off the organ and said "you play." i fiddled till i found that key, and discovered why he was fiddling...it was f-sharp. Who here likes f-sharp? anyway, i meddled in it till they were finished. his choir went to the audience leaving me with one of his little agent people. this guy said, "when he starts singing in his preaching, he does it in E-flat." I said ok, but i did not get a chance to tell my mother, the pianist who was way across from me. when he tuned up, he was way off from E-flat. In the middle of it, he told us "E-flat! E-flat!" but he kept on going and did not even give us a chance. So anyway, at one point, he came over to the organ, reached over, and just pounded on E-flat. I was twelve then, two years ago. Had it been now, I might have got up off the organ and said "you want it in e-flat, you play it in e-flat. you don't touch my organ without giving me a chance," go to the back of the choir stand and that would be that. but i didn't. but that is not cool. the next year, he brough his own musicians, and i was so glad!
THings that aren't cool:
1. the MOM does not know a single thing about music
2. 6 people show up to choir rehearsal, and when you look up on Sunday, there are 50 people standing up ready to sing.
3. "Professionals" come to your church to tell you what to do and how to run things and things were going fine before they came.
4. when the musicians keep speeding up the song and the director takes the song too long, and the choir and soloist get worn out from singing
5. When the song leader stops singing and sits down because the choir director does not know when to stop.
6. When someone gets paid to do something, but wants to put their job off on everyone else.