The Bell Handling Skills

Church tower bells are very heavy objects and move at great speed, it is essential that those learning to ring obey the safety rules of the tower. A bell can easily lift a grown man to the ceiling at great speed. To sit and watch in safety place both feet firmly on the ground and tucked out of the way. Your legs should not be crossed as it would be dangerous if a rope caught on your foot. Ringing is a very safe pastime because participants are taught how to handle a bell safely. Each tutor will have his or her own way of teaching but an outline is given below. Simply watching and observing experienced ringers whilst waiting your turn to have a go can be beneficial.

The bell rope has a furry hand grip known as a " Sally " below which is a double section of rope known as the " Back Rope " The action of pulling the rope is divided into two distinct parts. The " Handstroke " which uses the Sally and the " Backstroke " which uses the back rope.

Stage 1

Practicing Backstroke

At first, the pupil is taught the backstroke routine. The tutor attends to the sally and the pupil holds the backrope with both hands. The tutor pulls the sally and the pupil pulls the backrope with a little guidance at first. This skill is soon mastered by the pupil.

Stage 2

Practicing Handstroke

The handstroke is a little more complicated as it involves pulling then letting go of the sally. The tutor looks after the back rope whilst the pupil concentrates on pulling the sally. The tutor holds the sally too and guides it progress whilst the pupil attempts to catch it and then pull the handstroke. This skill takes a bit longer to learn.

Stage 3

When the pupil has mastered stages one and two, it is time to combine both parts. At first the tutor may guide and check the rope to ensure the pupil uses the correct amount of pull at each stroke. This is a balance of how much power to use in each stroke and may take a time to acquire. It will be explained how to speed up and slow down the ringing speed in readiness for the next stage. The pupil will be encouraged to learn how to stand the bell. This stopping action will be practiced until it can be done immediately on command.

Stage 4

Until now, the pupil will have rung on their own at their own speed. Change ringing is all about team work which means ringing at the team's speed. This skill, known as ringing in rounds, will be practiced until the pupil can control the speed of their bell to fit in with the others and make it strike to give a pleasant sound. Practicing rounds is both a visual and listening skill.

Ringing practice for a pupil requires possibly five or more experienced ringers to ring the other bells. If there are a number of pupils it can be time consuming waiting around for your turn to practice. The more experienced ringers may find it tedious too. Ringing simulators can help the pupil learn how to strike their bell in the correct place with the sound of the other bells being supplied by the simulator's computer. A ringing training centre has been set up at Worcester Cathedral equipped with dummy bells and simulators.

Finally

When the pupil can safely handle a bell and ring in rounds consistently with other members of the band the fun begins. Each band will have their own way to advance the skills of the new ringer. Ringing is a very interesting passtime that can be enjoyed in such a variety of ways.