Handbell Toolbox

3.2. Plain Bob Minor on handbells

You can download and print out the Plain Bob Minor handbells cribsheet to see the path of each pair and how they change positions at each lead end. Alternatively, you can write it out using coloured pens and develop the cribsheet yourself.

Plain Bob Minor on handbells explained

Whilst you're ringing you need to know two things:

• Which of the three positions you are ringing in.
• When the treble is leading. 

You plain hunt until you reach the lead end (when the treble leads). At this change seconds place, rather than sixth place, is made, causing the bells in 3-4 and 5-6 to dodge. You make a shape and pick up a new position – coursing, opposites or the 2/3 position – and continue ringing this position until the next lead end.

Remember that the three different positions are uniquely defined. For example if you find yourself striking in 1st and 6th place of the change then you are in opposites and if you strike 3rd and 6th then you are in the 2/3 position. There is never 3rd and 6th in coursing. If you strike 2nd and 4th you are definitely coursing – there is no choice.

Dodging in Plain Bob Minor

Success in learning to ring handbells depends on ringing your bells as a pair, learning patterns, rather than separately as two blue lines. Plain Bob will introduced to some new important patterns – the three ways that your bells can dodge at the same time. You can dodge with yourself, make a parallel dodge or make a scissors dodge.

Dodging together

Two bells meet, dodge with each other and then part. You may get confused knowing when to part. In Plain Bob Minor (and all other right-place methods) you part on the backstroke. At the beginning you might want to learn the manoeuvre as "meet, cross, cross back for the dodge, cross again and part". Eventually knowing when to part will become automatic.

Parallel dodge

This is probably the easiest dodging pattern to ring as the bells ring in parallel. The dodge disrupts just one blow of the plain hunting pattern, when both bells step backwards for the dodge at backstroke.

Scissors dodge

This is the hardest dodging pattern to learn and confusion can arise knowing when the dodge is finished. Again, you may wish to learn this manoeuvre as "cross, part, meet, and then part".

Plain Bob Minor on the Trebles (1-2)

Some people like to start ringing Plain Bob Minor on the trebles because it is obvious when the treble is leading as you are ringing it yourself. During a plain course however, it will ring all three positions and will change position at every lead end. You need to know your positions and everyone else is relying on you keeping the treble right.

 

Plain Bob Minor on the Tenors (5-6)

The majority of new handbell ringers start by ringing the tenors. In the plain course the tenors stay coursing except for one lead in which they ring the 2-3 position.

 

Plain Bob Minor on 3-4

 

Method Structure

Once you have mastered Plain Hunt you are able to ring the block (x16), but what does this piece of place notation mean?

• The x (cross) means that all bells on their up stroke swap positions in pairs 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6.
• The 16 indicates that places are made in 1 and 6. These places are made on the down stroke so the bells that go up in 1 and 6 place come down in the same position, whilst the other bells have to move so they swap in positions 2-3 and 4-5.

When plain hunting you continue plain hunting until the treble leads again and at the backstroke the bells sound rounds.

In order to generate more changes (different music) whenever the treble leads instead of swapping the middle 2 pairs (2/3 & 4/5) we can swap the pairs in 3/4 and 5/6, and both bells in first and seconds place will stay in the same place for the backstroke that they were at the handstroke. This creates new features, a place is made internally in seconds place over the treble and the bells in 3/4 and 5/6 dodge. We have introduced a new block (x12). This lead and lead end can be repeated four times producing Plain Bob Minor.