Leading singing/Shape notes and hand movements.

[Ivy]

That's because we're absolutely still under law, it's just that it's substitutionary.

That's right. They REALLY didn't want anyone to be under the illusion somehow that we didn't still have to toe the line, lest we end up in hell.

[shlybluz]

Ivy said:

This also reminds me of the discreet use of the pitch pipe. The song leader who really cared about having the pitch right would pull it out of his pocket and, as quietly as possible, blow one note at about the volume of a whisper, then pretend he didn't do it.

I had a pitch pipe and was trained to use it and would have but for one thing. At the congregation I attended there were two people who believed it constituted instrumental music in the worship. The Elders left it up to me to decide what to do about it. They didn't have a problem with it. I had a serious and deep conversation with each of the offended people and was convinced they were sincere and not just trying to be a pain. So, I found myself in the following situation. If I used the pitch pipe and those two people joined in the singing, I was causing them to sin because the New Testament clearly teaches that if we engage in something we believe to be wrong it is sin. On the other hand, If I used the pitch pipe and they, for conscience sake, didn't join in the singing, I was hindering them from worshiping. I left the pitch pipe at home, where I would use it in practicing songs and just winged it during the worship service. Thankfully, there weren't many times that I really, really screwed up the pitch of a song badly.

Where I went as a child/young teen we had two men who were musicians who generally led singing (one who played professionally). One discretely used a pitch pipe, but the other had an adjustable tuning fork that he would usually tap on the podium, but occasionally tap it on his head to get the kids giggling. Using either never was a problem where I went, but not every song leader used something to get the right starting note; I think many just went on "start singing and let everyone fall in where they feel comfortable" LOL

[SolaDude]

My Dad was the song leader for my congregation, used a pitch pipe and I believe I still have it somewhere. Do you remember the song number boards with the black block numbers (numbers in white surrounded by black)? Well, when I was around 4 or 5, he would take me with him up behind the baptistry and hand me those cards one at a time, in sequence with the numbered songs for the service that morning. But he told me I must keep them in order! Then we walked out to the stage and he told me to hand them to him, "the next three" he would say, etc. I had to COUNT. Oh, my. But I made it. Helped my Dad get 'em all up there. I handed them to him, he slid them in the slots.