20 Hand Signals for Choir Directing (and how to use them)

The first level of signals you'll give to your choir are the ones telling them which passage of the song they are about to sing:

1: For the "top" or opening section of the song -- Pat the top of your head, or your forehead.

2: For a lead verse -- Point at the lead singer. If there are two or more verses, point to the lead singer first, then hold a number to indicate which verse you want them to sing.

3: For a chorus -- Form a letter "C" with your hand.

4: For the bridge (the middle section of the song) -- I form something that looks like a letter "T" with my two hands. It reminds me of a bridge.

5: For the vamp (repeating chorus) -- Hold up your hand with your fingers crossed.

6: For the end of the song (or the end of a certain passage) -- Hold up a closed fist.

To help you picture these, the video below demonstrates the hand gestures. (Except the signal for a chorus, I forgot to put that one in. Sorry.)

The next level of signals deals with the smaller details that happen within one section of the song, like little repeats and things like that. Some gestures you can use for giving those details are:

7: For repeats -- Cycle your hands around each other like a wheel turning.

8: To come out of a section after you've been repeating -- Point behind you (over your shoulders) with your thumbs.

9: Counting down to come out of a repeating section -- Indicate the numbers with your fingers and count down . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

10: When you want the choir to be silent -- Hold your closed fists tight against your chest. You can also lower your head slightly.

11: To repeat just the final line of a song (this is a common way to end songs; it's called a deceptive cadence) -- This is a sign that I made up. I form an "L" with the thumb and index finger of one hand, then with my other hand do a circular motion around it (like a "repeat" signal).

All of these gestures are shown in this video:

These are signals for taking the choir through key changes, inversions, changes in volume, and giving other guidance:

12: "Sing quietly" -- Use hand motions that are close to your body and keep them small.

13: "Sing loudly" -- Use broad gestures, open your arms out wide.

14: If you only want one section of the choir to sing -- Point at that one section, just like you would point at a lead singer.

15: Unison vs. Harmony -- If the choir has been singing in unison and it's time to switch to 3-part harmony, hold out three fingers on your hands, with the fingers pointing toward the choir, and extend your hands out to the sides a little bit.

16: Modulation (key change) -- Motion "up" with your index finger.

17: Inversion -- Form "L" shapes with both hands, with your thumbs pointing toward each other. Then, with a slight upward movement, flip your hands so that your thumbs are pointing toward the ceiling.

18: If one section of the choir isn't singing loud enough -- Point to that section, then point to your ear.

All of these signals are demonstrated in this video:

One of the things a choir director wants is for the choir to sing with precision, and there are some signals you can give with your hands that will help bring that about:

19: Sometimes when I'm directing I'll use hand movements to follow the shape of the melody the choir is singing (moving my hand(s) up when the notes goes up and down when the notes go down). This reminds the choir of how the melody goes, but more importantly (I think), it keeps everyone in sync with each other. Your hand motions can be a visual guide that keeps everyone on the rhythm of the song together.

20: Another way to make the choir's singing more precise is to make sure that everyone begins and ends their notes at the same time. On a long note, keep your hand(s) open for as long as the note is being sustained, and then close your hand(s) when the note should be ending.

You can see both of these hand movements (and some of the other movements we've discussed) in this video of a live performance. At the 0:20 mark, there is a phrase with a long note at the end, and you can see the signal of closing the hands so that everyone ends the note together. And there is a lot of using the hands to follow the shape of the melody throughout the song. Using very pronounced gestures with this helps keep everyone together on the rhythm. In the final passage of the song, you can also see the signal for an inversion (look for it at 2:49 and 3:01).