1. An Introduction to English Change Bell Ringing
With thanks to and acknowledgment of the
Association of Ringing Teachers

2. What is English change bell ringing?
Largest and loudest instrument in the world
English change ringing unique
Different from other cultures’ bell ringing
Soundtrack to our historic moments
Call us to wake, pray, work, to arms, to feast, to celebrate
NOTES FOR PRESENTERS – THE NOTES HERE ARE SUGGESTIONS BUT TRY TO USE YOUR OWN WORDS AND EXPERIENCES AS THE BULLET POINTS COME UP ON THE SLIDE WITH EACH CLICK, NOT JUST READ OUT THE NOTES!
Bells are the largest and loudest instrument in the world. The way they are rung is what makes English change ringing unique and so different from anywhere else in the world.
The sound of bells ringing is deeply rooted in British culture. Almost everyone in Britain lives within hearing range of bells. They provide the grand soundtrack to our historic moments, they rejoice when we celebrate and toll in empathy with our grief.  The sound of church bells ringing out across a town or village is an excellent way for the church to announce its presence.
They call us to wake, to pray, to work, to arms, to feast, to celebrate and, in times of crisis, to come together.

3. When? Weekly for practices, and on Sundays
Ring for weddings, funerals, festivals, anniversaries
Personal, local and national
Reflect emotions of the community, in celebration or sadness
Announce the end of a war, or the passing of a monarch
Roots in an ‘English’ tradition, although carried out around the world, eg Australia.
‘’Ringing a bell by the English method of rope & wheel enables each bell to give forth her fullest and her noblest note’’ - Dorothy L Sayers (writer of the bell ringing detective novel The Nine Tailors)
Bells are rung weekly for practices, and on Sundays. Bells ring for weddings, funerals, festivals, anniversaries - personal, local and national - and a host of other special occasions, and have done so for hundreds of years. Bells reflect the emotions of the community, in celebration or sadness, to announce the end of a war, or to witness the passing of a monarch.
Bell ringing is a pastime which is an essentially ‘English’ tradition in terms of its roots, although today it is carried out around the world, - even as far away as Australia.

4. Who can ring? Requires coordination and mental agility
But people from all walks of life can learn, and at all ages
Learner guided through steps required to ‘handle’ a bell
Then learn how to ring call changes (bells ‘swap’ places) and methods (‘tunes’)
Become part of a team or ‘band’ as part of a much larger ringing fraternity
More than 6000 ringing towers with three or more bells in the UK
Also in Ireland, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Africa and the Netherlands
Bell ringing is a skill which requires coordination and mental agility, but is something people from all walks of life can learn, and at all ages – child to retiree.
When you learn you are guided through the steps required to develop the skill of ‘handling’ a bell – that is how to control the bell to make it sound in its right place amongst the others. After this you learn how to ring call changes (when the bells ‘swap’ places) and methods (‘tunes’). You become part of a team or ‘band’ which itself is part of a much larger ringing fraternity.
There are in fact more than 6000 ringing towers with three or more bells in the UK and also some in Ireland, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Africa and one in the Netherlands. A new ring soon to be installed in Belgium (Ypres).

5. How organised?
Computers and modern facilities used in training (there is an App)
Local bands are part of district or group, itself a member of a wider Guild or Association
Overall representative body the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
Bell ringers find all sorts of reasons and all sorts of places to get together ring and socialise, in Britain and abroad. They form guilds with specific interests, eg policemen’s guild, railway guild, Catholic guild, guild for cyclists, ramblers etc. They communicate via social media, and are in general a very friendly bunch

6. How does it work? Made from an alloy of copper and tin
Arranged down the musical scale from the smallest ('treble') to the largest ('tenor')
Average tenor weight 510kg, though can weigh up to 4,200kg - the weight of a car
Hung within a frame and attached to a wheel
Rotate through 360 degrees, with 'clapper' striking inside of bell to sound a note
Special feature of English bells is the 'stay'
Rope wraps around wheel whereby ringer below controls bell's swing
Bells are made from an alloy of copper and tin and are arranged in the tower down the musical scale from the smallest (called the 'treble') to the biggest ('tenor') which has the lowest note. The average tenor weight is 510kg, although they can weigh up to 4,200kg - the weight of a car. Bells are hung within a wooden or steel frame and attached to a wheel. For English change ringing they rotate through 360 degrees, with the 'clapper' (piece of metal) striking the inside of the bell at the end of the swing to sound the note.
A special feature of English bells is that they have a 'stay' which allows them to pause in an up-right position. This means the ringer can control when they strike by pulling them from this 'set' position to swing at the correct time. Within the frame, the bell pivots on the gudgeon as it swings, while the clapper strikes the inside of the bell to make the noise. The rope wraps around the wheel which it is what the ringer below uses to control the bell's swing.

7. The ‘stay’ and ‘slider’ are the key parts that enable the English-style of Change Ringing.
Bell in ‘down’ position, showing all the different parts that make up the mechanism

8. How are they made? Tuned to one particular note
Tuned by carving metal from the inside of the bell
Made, or 'cast', in Britain for hundreds of years
Moulds made and molten metal poured in
Left to cool in pits
Two bell foundries remaining in the UK and it is possible to visit them and have tours of their premises – sometimes even see a casting.
John Taylor & Co, Loughborough
Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London
Bells are tuned to one particular note, despite actually producing a range of notes at the same time called harmonics; all of which can be tuned accurately at the time of manufacture. They are tuned by slowly carving metal from the inside of the bell as it is spun round on a special machine.
Bells have been made, or 'cast', in Britain for hundreds of years and, whilst being refined, the process has changed little. Moulds are made of the bells before molten metal is poured in and left to cool. The bells are left to cool for several days, often in pits as has been done for centuries. There are two bell foundries remaining in the UK and it is possible to visit them and have tours of their premises – sometimes even see a casting.

9. © Whitechapel Foundry

10. Inscriptions on bells:
Original bell:
“When we ring I sweetly sing”
Replacement bell:
“NOW when we ring I sweetly sing”
“I to the Church the living Call And to the Grave do summon all” “All ye of Bath that hear me sound Thank lady Hopton’s hundred pound” “I mean to make it understood That tho I’m little yet I’m good”
It is very common for people to put inscriptions on bells, and here is just a selection of a few real examples

11. The science behind change ringing
Bells ring in a different order each time
Pairs of bells change place in order they strike
No ‘change’ to be repeated
Example:
4 pairs (alternating with 3) change
places in this example
Change ringing is where each time the bells ring they ring in a different order – and this is achieved by pairs of bells changing place in the order they strike. The challenge is to ensure that no ‘change’ is repeated. Here are a few changes on eight bells starting in ‘Rounds’ from the highest pitch and lightest bell (1) to the lowest pitch and heaviest bell (8) With pairs of bells changing place each time three new changes are rung.

12. Ringers memorise a ‘pattern’ or line
Plain Hunt Minor
Ringers memorise a ‘pattern’ or line
Advanced ringers understand what all the bells are doing at any time
Most ringers focus on their own bell and its relationship to others
If the bells continued in this pattern they would ring 16 different changes and then return to rounds.
The next example (to the right) is called Plain Hunt Minor - where 6 bells ring 12 changes beginning and ending in rounds. Ringers do not learn the order the bells ring in each time but the position or place that they have to ring. They do this by memorising the ‘pattern’ or line that the movement of their bell from place to place produces.

13. The number of unique changes which can be rung on different numbers of bells:
A peal of 5,040 changes may take between 2.5 and 3.5 hours, depending on the weight of the bells. If you were to try and ring all the possible changes on 12 bells it might take  25 years or more!
There are names related to the number of bells which are ‘working’ as part of the tune (eg minor means six are moving places), and the number of changes here is the number before which any particular sequence of bells is repeated. A peal of triples therefore can be rung in its entirety (5,040 changes) without any repetition at all of a particular sequence – mind-boggling maths!

14. What type of people ring?
Wide cross section of the community
Ringers of over 90 have rung full, 3-hour peals
Usually young people start to ring at about age 11
Groups such as the ‘Zipper Society’
Ringers meet and ring ‘Quarter Peals’ (c 45 minutes of non-stop ringing, ie a quarter of a full peal) or ‘Peals’ (c 3 hours of ringing)
Day/weekend/week outings to other regions are popular
In the 21st century ringers include a wide cross section of the community and age groups. There are ringers of over 90 who have rung full, 3-hour peals (it keeps your brain and body active!) and at the other end of the scale those as young as 5 have learnt to ring. Usually young people start to ring at about age 11 and there are a number of school clubs and youth ringing groups active in training and encouraging young ringers. Many Universities also have active ringing societies.
Some groups focus on occupations (e.g. banking, medical, firemen, railway employees, police, military) and some are based on other common interests (e.g. cycling, camping etc.). There are other connected groups too such as the ‘Zipper Society’ where members have all had open-heart surgery. Lots of diverse groups meet and arrange tours and social events during each year. Other ad hoc groups of friends meet and ring together either touring, or ringing ‘Quarters’ (c 45 minutes of non-stop ringing, ie a quarter of a full peal) or ‘Peals’ (c 3 hours of ringing).

15. How do you start? Almost anyone can ring a bell
Find a local tower (let us know if you need help with this)
Visit a practice to see what goes on
Commit some time for one-to-one lessons
Small, separate steps to learn the basics
For further detail of this process see next slide, and ‘Come and Learn to Ring!’ presentation.
Almost anyone can ring a bell, of course to differing standards of accuracy, dependent on aptitude and practice. And you can be of any faith or none.
Generally you start with finding a tower local to you that is able to teach a new ringer (let us know if you need help with this), and you visit a practice to see what goes on.
Then you commit some time to have a short period of regular lessons, one-to-one, where your assigned teacher will teach you to handle the bell in small, separate steps, which will build your confidence.
For further detail of this process see ‘Come and Learn to Ring!’

16. Stages of Learning (ART)
“Once gained, bell ringing is a skill for life that you'll never forget and can open up a lifetime of experiences and enjoyment.”
Stages of Learning (ART)
Learning can be broken down into 5 stages; learners can follow the 'Learning the Ropes' programme taught by accredited instructors of the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART)
Progression
All learners make progress at their own pace and have a different learning journey. It is very common for learners to plateau, or consolidate their learning before they move on again
five stages from beginner to experienced ringer, and at all stages you're helped out by either a personal tutor or other capable bell ringers. Often new ringers follow the 'Learning the Ropes' programme to learn to ring, taught by accredited instructors of the Association of Ringing Teachers.
It is typical when at one level to think t

17. Before you buy in, read the reviews!
‘’The bells are an integral part of the community that I live in and by ringing I am giving something to my town and continuing a heritage activity that has been part of the lives of the inhabitants of this area for hundreds of years. I am privileged to do so.’’
‘’It’s a good physical challenge – not hard but it needs coordination. It keeps me fit mentally and physically.’’
‘’We usually go to the pub after ringing – that’s a great social get together.’’
“I like the social aspect and have met new friends through ringing – and when we go on youth outings it’s always fun!”
’My ringing is for the church to call people in my local community to service. I am giving service to the church by my ringing.’’
‘’I like to have something to work towards so my teacher sets me goals and we work to achieve them. At first it was ‘Learning the Ropes’ but now we like to ring at new towers and ring Quarter Peals. A peal is my goal for this year.’’

18. ‘’I enjoy outings to other towers most – you see so many interesting places and meet new people. Our weekend away in East Anglia was brilliant!!’’
‘’I ring to make new friends and for the social side of ringing. I have met lots of new people and have close friends in my local band. I like the meetings and go to other practices regularly.’’
“You have to ring as part of a team for each piece of ringing. Ringing together like this makes me feel a valued part of the group.’’
‘’Attending the Ringing World Youth Striking Competition was an eye opener – I had no idea so many young people were ringing in so many areas.’’
“We had a fabulous time on the East Coast of the States, on holiday, visiting various towers to ring on their practice nights – we met some really nice people, experienced some really interesting history, and even rang for someone’s wedding!”
‘’After 25 years ringing I finally got to ring at St Paul’s – now I have rung in all the cathedrals with bells!!’’

19. Other simple powerpoint resources available from the Central Council:
The following go into more detail than this general overview: Come and Learn to Ring! (for the new or potential learner ringer) The History of English Bells and Bell Ringing (for those interested in the historical aspects) The Science of English bell ringing (for those with a scientific or mathematical interest) Restoration Appeal (a template/guide for use when starting an appeal)

20. Online addresses
Discover Bell Ringing - Association of Ringing Teachers - Learning the Ropes - Change Ringing Resources - Central Council of Church Bell Ringers - The Ringing World - Doves Guide for Church Bell Ringers - dove.cccbr.org.uk Ringing at University -

21. Other media
Facebook: Association of Ringing Teachers Bellringers CCCBR Learning the Ropes …and many other local groups (just search bell ringing) Twitter: Association of Ringing Teachers Learning the Ropes Central Council of Church Bell Ringers