minhag - Hand motions for trope in Torah reading

I've seen people standing next to Torah readers and making hand signals during the Torah reading, presumably to prompt the reader in the trope. I think @Shalom mentioned this in Method for practicing Torah reading. What recognized systems exist for this, if any?

Answer

Based on observations in a Sepharadic environment:

I have signed ta'amim for several readers using systems they taught me. They all seem to be based around the same signs, even if there are nuances between various methods. They are more or less imitations of the ta'am symbol, using your hand against the inside edge of the Sefer Torah case (upright, of course). Here are those which seem to me to be more-or-less universal in Sepharadic circles (if not exactly, then slightly variant):

• רביע- Stick out index finger at a horizontal angle. Some swivel it about 15 degrees back and forth.


• זרקה- Sideways figure-eight with index finger



• תילשא- Index and thumb touch, remaining 3 fingers held up (like an "okay" gesture)


• אזלא גריש- Move my index finger upwards in a 90 degree arc - first from the left then from the right


• פזר גדול- Wave index finger up and down about three times, each time going a little higher than the last


• פסק- One swift vertical chopping movement with whole hand


• דרגא-תביר- Some form of an up-and-down movement. (My favorite is an upwards Z motion with index finger (דרגא) followed by a downwards-inwards curve (תביר))


• שני גרשין- Hold out index and second finger together vertically, wave them inwards (sort of like a beckoning motion)


• אתנח\סוף פסוק- Either tap the reader's hand, or downwards motion with whole hand. Reader is usually well-enough versed to differentiate. מאריך טרחא is generally assumed


• זקף קטן- Index and middle finger held out, apart and vertically


• זקף גדול- single upwards motion with index finger

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for or if it will help you; I hope it will. I hope the explanations aren't too abstract (they look good to me, but I know what I'm referring to in each one so I can't tell objectively).