Counting your Place

This simulator-based training programme will help you develop the listening, rhythm and speed-awareness skills you will need for 'counting your place'.

The approach
This programme is for ringers at any level. As soon as you have developed good bell control skills, you can start. Each of the modules develops a key skill, essential to 'ringing by places'. We will decide together which modules will be most useful to you. In a single one-hour session, we might expect to complete one module - but you set the pace.

The modules
We usually start with basic skills like covering and leading but, because we are using the simulator, there are no other ropes or ringers to distract you. If you usually rely on seeing the other ropes, this can feel strange at first, but don't worry; as your listening skills develop, this will not be a problem.

  • Counting and Covering
    • Ringing rounds in 6th's place (pulling-off within the current row)
    • Covering Stedman Doubles, in 6th's place
    • Covering Scientific Triples, in 8th's place
    • Covering Grandsire Caters, in 10th's place

  • Awareness of the Handstroke Gap
    Call changes 'by places' (on 6 bells):
    • Striking in 6th's and 5th's place - pulling-off within the current row and noticing the handstroke gap
    • Striking in 4th's, 3rd's and 2nd's place - pulling-off before the current row and allowing for the handstroke gap
    • Leading - pulling-off before the current row and setting the handstroke gap

  • Making Places and following a simple Blue Line
    • Making fifths and long sixths: using West Ham Bob Minor
    • Making long fifths and fourths: using Greenford Little Bob Doubles
    • Leading and making seconds: using Bastow Little Bob Minor

  • Speed-awareness and Trebling to Plain Doubles
    Hunting the treble:
    • to 3rd's place: using Ashford Little Bob Doubles
    • to 4th's place: using Little Bob Minor
    • to 5th's place: using Plain Bob Doubles

  • Plain Hunt and Trebling to Plain Triples
    • Plain Hunt on Five (from any bell)
    • Trebling to Grandsire Triples
    • Plain Hunt on Seven (from any bell)

  • Trebling to Plain Minor/Major (and more Plain Hunt!)
    • Trebling to Plain Minor methods: using Double Court Bob Minor
    • Plain Hunt on Six (from any bell)
    • Trebling to Plain Major methods: using Double Norwich Court Bob Major
    • Plain Hunt on Eight (from any bell)

  • Simple Dodging and Place-making for Plain Bob Doubles
    Following a simple blue line in 'Thingummy' - an exercise recommended by the Whiting Society, which allows for separate, repeated practice of each of the component skills needed for touches of Plain Bob Doubles:
    • dodging 3/4 up
    • dodging 3/4 down
    • making seconds
    • ringing four blows behind
    • making fourths

  • Treble-dodging to Minor methods
    • using Kent Treble Bob Minor
    • using Cambridge Surprise Minor

  • Treble-dodging to Major methods
    • using Oxford Treble Bob Major
    • using Yorkshire Surprise Major

Sight-reading and Mirror-ringing
The simulator enables us to use some new and interesting teaching techniques. Please see
our article for more details, but briefly...

  • Sight-reading is a familiar practice mode for musicians, but not necessarily for bellringers. Ring a method from a blue-line, even if you have never seen it before.

  • Mirror-ringing is a helpful technique when the student is first exploring what it 'feels' like to ring Plain Hunt, to practise treble-dodging or to ring a more advanced method.

The small print
This programme is designed to supplement the 'real ringing' you are already doing at your home tower, with your local band. Nothing can replace ringing with others for developing ropesight skills and that sense of 'ensemble' ringing, so essential to good striking. Private study is also important when learning any new method - for acquiring a thorough understanding of method structure.

Graham Foat
ⓒ June 2014
Rev 3.02 23/03/15

Interested?

These sessions are arranged at a time to suit our mutual availability. Please fill in the form on the Booking tab to apply.

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