Sometimes I find myself annoyed at church music which leads me to attempt the following definitions:
-- "Music leading": Singer(s) performing the exact melody (note the phrase "exact melody") expected of the people being lead.
-- "Solo": Lone singer singing melody with decorations as he/she feels inspired. There is no expectation of leading the listeners while this is done.
-- "Dixieland": An ensemble of 3 – 5 instruments simultaneously performing solo improvisations of the melody. Note: Dixieland will always at least once clearly state the melody with all instruments in harmony. This is done before the section using improvisation.
-- "Mess": A group of singers, perhaps mixed with instruments, all improvising a melody together.
-- "Awful Mess": A group of singers, perhaps mixed with instruments, all improvising a melody together some out of tune.
-- "Dreadfully Awful Mess": A group of singers, perhaps mixed with instruments, all improvising a melody together all out of tune.
