2016 is an easy year for date touches, as it's a multiple of 32, so it's possible to ring a whole number of leads of Surprise Major. Not only that, but the number of leads is 63 = 9 x 7, so it's 9 full courses. For example, (W 3H)...

Most of the methods we ring are symmetrical, and we are used to the fact that each place bell has its reverse - for example, 2nd place bell and 5th place bell in Yorkshire Major - and there is one symmetrical place bell - for example, 3rd place bell in...

Last night our Albany Quadrant band joined the many hundreds of bell ringers who have rung quarter peals to support the campaign 'Strike Back Against Blood Cancer', by ringing a quarter peal of Julie McDonnell Slow Course Minor (named after the originator of the campaign).

The method itself is simple...

I was looking over some recent blog articles and I noticed a slight similarity between these two compositions.

5184 Pudsey Surprise Major
Edwin A Barnett (rotated)

23456  B  M  W  H
-----------------
54632     –  –  3
26354  3
53462     –  –  3
-----------------
3 part.

1280 Yorkshire Surprise Major...

There has been some discussion this week on the change-ringers email list about ways of thinking about methods for handbells, and in particular the role of place notation. I have taken this as a prompt to try out some thoughts about how to get started on ringing Surprise Minor, because...

Yesterday we scored our peal of Superlative, using the composition from my previous article. Most of the peal was quite good, after some initial settling down, although we did have a too-exciting rough patch very near the end. It was much easier with 5-6 coursing throughout. Something to watch out...

We are half way through a Horton's Four weekend - we attempted the peal this morning, and we're going for it again tomorrow afternoon. So what happened? After a short false start, we rang quite decently for two hours, right up to the beginning of the split tenors section. Then...

Back in March, I wrote about compositions of Superlative, in advance of a peal attempt with Mike and Ian. We didn't get that peal, and yesterday we had another go and failed again. Perhaps there was another attempt in between; I don't remember. Despite the possibilities for compositions that...

We had a handbell day on Saturday - a medium-sized one this time, with 15 people. We had advertised beginners' sessions in the morning, but in the end we didn't get any beginners, so the programme was the usual combination of practice sessions and quarters.

We rang four quarters: one of...