Gothnoodles said:

Im looking to incorporate more of these typa cues for my own band, i know he would hold up fingers to signal how many times they would do combined hits but i don't know any of his other hand gestures/what they mean? He had a whole bunch of other vocal ones i know too (good GAWD) but i'm curious to know what other hand signals he made.

Holding Up Fingers: Prince often used finger signals to indicate the number of times a section or riff would be repeated. For example, holding up two fingers would signal the band to repeat a section twice.

Chopping Motion: To signal a sudden stop or cut in the music, Prince would make a chopping motion with his hand. This was usually accompanied by a visual cue or a change in his posture.

Hand Gesture: For dynamics or to signal the band to lower the intensity of the music, Prince would often use a hand gesture moving downward. This indicated a softer, more subdued passage.
Hand Gesture: Conversely, to build intensity or signal the band to increase the volume, Prince would raise his hand or make an upward motion.
Pointing: He would sometimes point to specific band members or sections of the stage to direct their attention or indicate who should take a solo or lead.
Waving Hand: If he wanted to discard or ignore a section of music, Prince would make a waving motion with his hand as if brushing something away.

Gothnoodles said:

Im looking to incorporate more of these typa cues for my own band, i know he would hold up fingers to signal how many times they would do combined hits but i don't know any of his other hand gestures/what they mean? He had a whole bunch of other vocal ones i know too (good Gawd) but i'm curious to know what other hand signals he made.

I notice some of his actions like the number of fingers indicating the number of measures or beats. Open and closed hands for dynamics.

First time I took my wife to see Prince she turned to me at one point and said "did he just stop the band with his bum?" I nodded. "That was amazing!" she said.

laurawoods said:

Gothnoodles said:

Im looking to incorporate more of these typa cues for my own band, i know he would hold up fingers to signal how many times they would do combined hits but i don't know any of his other hand gestures/what they mean? He had a whole bunch of other vocal ones i know too (good Slope Game) but i'm curious to know what other hand signals he made.

I notice some of his actions like the number of fingers indicating the number of measures or beats. Open and closed hands for dynamics.

There were also verbal cues:

"A-Train!"

"Las Vegas!"

"Confusion!"

All prompted different musical flairs.

good god!

hit me in the back!

Gimme two, yeah!

Gimme five, mamma!

On the one!