Handbell ringers often choose compositions that are designed for handbells, which usually means that a particular pair of bells rings a limited range of positions. For example, 3-4 might be coursing all (or almost all) the time; or perhaps 5-6 might ring only the coursing and 5-6 positions, and never the 3-4 position. There are two reasons why you might want to do this.

• Specifically to make life easier for one ringer, perhaps a less experienced member of the band who hasn't practised all the positions yet.
• Making life easier for one ringer, and it doesn't really matter who, reduces the likelihood of mistakes and increases the stability of the ringing as a whole, therefore providing a more solid structure for everyone else to fit into.

I also find it useful to use simple compositions that I won't miscall. There is some tension between these ideas. On the current theme of London, here is a quarter peal composition in which 3-4 are coursing throughout. You have to start and finish at the treble's backstroke snap so that 3-4 are coursing at the beginning.

1280 London Surprise Major
Simon J. Gay
 
M B W H (43256) 
-------------- 
    -    54236 
  - -    64532 
  -   s  46325 
s   2    62354 
-     -  43256 
-------------- 
Snap start and finish.

It's a little complicated, so instead I chose the following elegant two-part for our first attempts.

1280 London Surprise Major
Simon J. Gay
 
M B W  23456 
------------ 
-   -  54632 
  -    43526 
-   -  25634 
------------ 
Repeat.

After losing it a few times, I realised that by starting with a before, 3-4 would not have to ring the 5-6 position. So that's what we ended up ringing.

1280 London Surprise Major
Simon J. Gay
 
M B W  23456 
------------ 
  -    35264 
-   -  62453 
-   -  54326 
------------ 
Repeat.

For a quarter of Cambridge or Yorkshire Royal on tower bells, I normally call this:

1282 Cambridge Surprise Royal
 
W H  23456 
---------- 
- 3  52436 
s   (32456) 
----------

It's not an ideal handbell composition, because 3-4 ring the coursing, 3-4 and 7-8 positions, and 5-6 ring the coursing, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8 positions. Instead, we have rung this one for both Cambridge and Yorkshire, which is a well-known simple calling in which 3-4 are unaffected and 5-6 ring only the 3-4 and 5-6 positions:

1440 Cambridge Surprise Royal
 
M W  23456 
---------- 
  s  53426 
s s  23465 
---------- 
Repeat.

The only drawback is that it's longer than necessary, but I think the extra four leads are worth it for the simplicity.