Different types of crossings between bands are discussed. New detailed spectroscopy allows the determination of the interaction strength with higher accuracy when the energies of both bands are established for some spin units in the crossing region and the decay pattern between them also taken into account. The well known crossing between the g‐band and the S‐band in even‐even nuclei is analysed and the expected oscillating dependence of the interaction strength on the Fermi level in the &ngr;i13/2subshell is established in the light rare earth region. A signature dependence of this strength for an odd‐Z nucleus is discussed in terms of a shape difference between the two signatures, which both have &ggr;≠0 below the rotational frequency of the crossing. In a new experiment carried out with the NORDBALL a crossing between bands built on the &pgr;h11/2and &pgr;h9/2configurations in163Tm has been established. From an analysis of the decay pattern at this crossing it is possible to extract new information on the shape difference between these two configurations which have very different driving forces. The results are discussed in relation to the shift of the &ngr;i13/2band crossing observed for the h9/2[541]1/2−configuration in this and many neighbouring odd‐Z nuclei.