Handbell Toolbox

Original Minor is Plain Hunt with bobs and singles. It is classified as a principle (Stedman and Erin are also principles) because the treble is no longer a special bell – it is affected by calls in the same manner as all of the other bells. Original Minor is a really useful learning method. It does mean that someone needs to be able to say the word 'bob' in the correct place and everyone needs to react to it quickly. If your band is inexperienced a bit of calling practice using one of the ringing simulator packages wouldn’t go amiss.

Calling Original

Don’t be frightened off by having to call Original.

Start by calling a bob to make the treble (or any other bell) run in and run out i.e. keep it plain hunting. This will give you 60 changes. Make the calls at the chosen bell’s backstroke in fourths place on the way down to the front and at the backstroke of the lead. Many ringers new to handbells will find a 60 of Original called in this way quite easy to ring and a lot easier than a plain course of Single Court, not realising that the two are the same!

There are many other short touches of Original that teach how to move from one position to the other and add variety to the practice. Download this cribsheet of Original Minor touches.

Writing out touches of Original

The above touch is 24 Original Minor which keeps the trebles unaffected. It is represented by the calling notation (B,P,P,P,P,B)*2.

Substituting place notation (x16) for the plain hunt and (x14) for the bobs gives a place notation of x14x16x16x16x16x14 which can then be used to generate the touch using method viewing software, such as https://rsw.me.uk/blueline/methods/.

Touches of Original Minor

Bob = 14, Single = 1456

60 Original Minor

Call a bob each time any of the six bells will be in 2-3 (up or down) as the bob takes effect (i.e. it will Plain Hunt)

With treble in 2-3, that will be (B,P,P,P,B,P)*5

With the 5th in 2-3, that will be (P,P,B,P,B,P)*5

24 Original Minor

Keeps 5-6 unaffected

(P,P,B,B,P,P)*2

24 Original Minor

Keeps 1-2 unaffected

(B,P,P,P,P,B)*2

24 Original Minor

Keeps 3-4 unaffected (includes singles)

(P,S,P,P,P,P)*2

80 Original Minor

Treble does 5-6 up dodge, lie, 5-6 down dodge, at the back each time

(P,P,B,P,B,P,P,P,)*5

16 Original Minor

Treble and 2nd Plain Hunt to 4ths and back

(P,B,B,P)*2

21 Original Minor (Backstroke start)

123456 (up)

123456 (down)

123456 (up)

132546 (down)

Then call P,P,B,B,P,B,B,P,B,B