Change Ringing

Bells normally start ringing down the scale from the highest note to the lowest, e.g. 1-2-3-4-5-6, which is called Rounds.

Call Changes

If ‘2 to 3’ is called, the 2 would ring one ding slower, and the 3 one ding quicker, so they swap places in the sequence, e.g. 1-3-2-4-5-6. This is Call Changes.
When one or more pairs of bells swap, this is a Change.

• X shows which 2 bells swap places in each change.
• Queens on 6 bells is 1-3-5-2-4-6.

Methods

Like Call Changes, Methods consist of Changes. But, instead of someone calling a command for the bells to swap, the bells continuously move places to a set pattern which each ringer has memorised, usually as a line (called the Blue Line).

The simplest example is Plain Hunt on 3 Bells, which is like plaiting hair!
– Cross 2 strands on the left, cross 2 strands on the right, and so on, to create a weaving pattern.

In this diagram of Plain Hunt on 3, with each bell’s path (known as Work) shown as a line in a different colour:

• Where the lines cross, the bells swap places in the ringing sequence/change.
• When a line goes down to the right \, that bell is ringing slowly to ring later in the change, one place at a time.
• When a line goes down to the left /, that bell is ringing quickly to ring sooner in the change, one place at a time.
• When a line is vertical |, that bell is ringing at Rounds speed to stay in the same place.

Plain Hunt can be rung on any number of bells.

Plain Hunt comes back to Rounds quite quickly, e.g. on 6 bells after just 12 changes, which is less than half a minute.
To make a method last longer, variations in the pattern are added, such as dodges and places.

e.g. Plain Bob has a place and dodges when the number 1 bell (called the Treble) is the first bell in the sequence (called Leading), as highlighted in the first column of the diagram below.

To add further variations, or to make the method last even longer, Bobs and Singles can be used, and this is called a Touch.
A Plain Course is ringing a method without bobs or singles.

Methods can become increasingly complex, particularly when rung on more bells, e.g. Bristol Surprise Maximus:

There are thousands of methods, so there is always something new to try.

Can you Ring Tunes on Bells?

No, not really. Although a bell being rung full circle can be rung at slightly different speeds, there is still a minimum gap of about 2 seconds between each ding. Each bell is just one note, so that limits tunes even further.

Sometimes ringers try simple tunes, such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as exercises in bell control and setting the bells at backstroke as well as at handstroke.