Handbell Toolbox

8.5. Plain Hunt

Teaching theory

Hunting is the starting point for all method ringing – make sure everyone understands what it is and how we achieve it – this will be time well spent if you are teaching handbells to non-ringers. It might also be worthwhile going over the theory with tower bell ringers, who can often rely on the blue line to ring it on tower bells, without understanding the underlying structure.

Walking Plain Hunt

Line up your ringers and get them to walk the pattern. Every time they arrive in a new place they should ring one stroke of their bell – or announce their place. Ringers / walkers moving up to the back of the row should walk behind the ringers moving down to the front. This establishes the routine of moving to a new place once a single stroke is rung.

Why not tie a ribbon around someone’s wrist so onlookers can watch one bell’s progression?

Lapping

• Sit three people down at a table with two bells each in front of them on the table.
• The most experienced ringer (or you as teacher) should ring the middle pair.
• Pick up and ring in order right to left. Everyone crosses their hands and replaces their bells in front of them.
• Pick up and ring in order right to left. The end two ringers keep their outside bell in their same hand but place their inside bell on the table closer to the inside of the line of bells – at the same time the centre ringer splits their bells placing each one out towards an outer edge.
• Pick up and ring in order right to left. Everyone crosses their hands and replaces bells in front of them.
• Pick up and ring in order right to left. The end two ringers keep their outside bell in their same hand but place their inside. bell on the table closer to the inside of the line of bells – at the same time the centre ringer splits their bells placing each one out towards an outer edge.
• Repeat until rounds return.

Teaching the three minor positions

The coursing position

• Encourage your students to draw the pattern out in two colours (be consistent – always use red for left hand and blue for right).
• 90% focus on the lead hand, other follows with a gap of one bell or learn the pairs of numbers.
• Lead hand stays the same until the next meet and cross.
• Learn in two halves. Start with all bells up for reverse rounds.
• Ring several times without stopping.
• Ring on higher numbers.
• Trebles to a bob course of Plain Bob Minor.
• Ring Plain Hunt on bells 3-5 or 4-6 or 5-7 or 7-9 or 8-10 – this can be a challenge but it gives everyone the same chance and underlines the nature of coursing.

The opposites position

• Encourage your students to draw the pattern out in two colours – consistent use of colour.
• 90% of the ringer’s focus should be on the lead hand, the other hand follows as a mirror or reflection of the lead hand or learn the pairs of numbers.
• Lead hand stays the same until the next meet and cross.
• Extend by ringing several times without stopping and ring opposites on higher numbers.

The 2/3 position

• Encourage your students to draw the pattern out in two colours – consistent use of colour.
• 90% focus on the lead hand other follows as a gap of three but on only six bells that ‘signature’ is not overly apparent so know your crossing points or learn the pairs of places in each row by rote.
• Be aware that the lead hand stays the same until the next meet and cross, then 2 between, 3 between, 3 between, 2 between, meet, cross.
• Extend by ringing several times without stopping.

Mental agility

These positions form the foundations of all subsequent method ringing and must become automatic. Lots and lots of practice of the three positions is required. To add some variation you can rotate bells (i.e. pass one to the right) and plain hunt from here – twice through, three times through.

Using videos

Watch the plain hunting videos on the ART YouTube channel and count together with your student. Ask them what are they thinking. Ask them to count out loud while they watch.

Helping non-method ringing students

You can download a suggested lesson plan to bring non-method ringing students up to speed with their method ringing colleagues.