Call Changes
|
|
Once you have learnt to handle a bell rope, it will be time for you to join the rest of the band. The bells are numbered. The lightest bell (The Treble) is number ‘1’, and the heaviest (The Tenor) is number 6 (On a Six Bell ring).
|
|
The bells are rung in order to start, ie: 123456. When all six bells have been heard, we call this a ‘change.’ The change ‘123456’ is called ‘rounds‘.
|
|
Change ringing is all about mixing the bells up. There are two main ways that this can be done. The first is to have a conductor calling out the bell numbers, to mix the order up.
|
|
Ie: Let’s start off in rounds!
|
123456 the caller can call ‘2 atfer 3’
|
|
now the change will be;
|
132456
|
|
Each bell can only jump one place at a time. The caller will call several different sequences, until he reaches rounds again.
|
|
|
Method Ringing
|
|
Method ringing is a step on from ‘call changes’. Each ringer needs to learn the posistion to ring their bell in ‘off by heart’. Each change is made every ‘stroke’ (Handstroke and Backstroke). The first method you will learn to ring is called ‘Plain Hunt’, as bell moves one place to the back at a time.
|
|
123456
|
214356
|
241536
|
425136
|
452316
|
543216 (Reverse or Backward rounds 543216)
|
534126
|
351426
|
315246
|
132546
|
123456
|
|
On the tenth change the bells come back into rounds. The tenor (6) has stayed at the back. The front bells are ‘the working bells’. When five bells are moving we call this ‘doubles’ as two pair of bells are swoping over in each change. The more bells there are the more changes we are able to ring without repeating a change. To work out the total number of changes that there can be on a set of bells we times all the numbers together: ie on three bells 1 x 2 x 3 = 6, on 4, 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 = 24, and so on.
|
|
3 Bells = Singles (6 Changes Total)
|
4 Bells = Minimus (24 Changes Total)
|
5 Bells = Doubles (120 Changes Total)
|
6 Bells = Minor (720 Changes Total)
|
7 Bells = Triples (5040 Changes Total)
|
8 Bells = Major (40,320 Changes Total)
|
9 Bells = Caters (362,880 Changes Total)
|
10 Bells = Royal (3,628,800 Changes Total)
|
11 Bells = Cinques (39,916,800 Changes Total)
|
12 Bells = Maximus (479,001,600 Changes Total)
|
|
Generally in a six bell tower for services, we ring ‘double methods’. 120 changes lasts about 5 minutes. 5040 changes are classed as a ‘Full Peal’ and will take approximately 3 hours to ring. This depends on the weight of the bells, and how fast they ring. ‘1/4 Peals’ are rung (1260 changes) and takes approximately 45 minutes.
|
|
Plain Hunt is repeated after 10 changes on 5 bells. To ring the full 120 changes on five bells we ring different methods, some of the most common methos rung at Haughton are:
|
|
Plain Bob, Reverse Cantebury, Grandsire, St. Simons, St’ Clements, Stedman and Kent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
