Greatly appreciated !!!

Oh yes, the method you describe there is best, most precise way of accenting the exact beat(s) that need emphasis as you said, per the band's agreement ...

Because 4/4 and 3/4 are so common, it seems to me most figures in 7/8 can be played intuitively 3/4+4/4 or 4/4+3/4, unless it's a 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2 ... Actually 5/8, to me, seems like it needs to be broken down the way you describe, it's seems only 7/8 could be more intuitively like common time...