Standard Calls

When learning a new method, ringers often learn the calls from scratch. This is usually unnecessary.

Calls are not strictly part of a method, and composers can use whatever means they want to move from one course to another (as long as it doesn’t break the basic rules of method ringing such as moving more than one place). However, in practice, most calls follow a simple set of rules, and these notes are intended to explain how these work. This will encompass quite a bit of the rules of method structure, so it will be useful to have a copy of ‘Diagrams’ or similar to hand before reading further.

For the purposes of these notes, I am referring to symmetrical, single-hunt*, even-bell methods, so:

• Not doubles, triples etc.

• Not twin hunt methods (e.g. Grandsire)

• Not principles (e.g. Stedman)

• Not asymmetric methods e.g. Annable's Diamond Bob Minor

In fact, the way that calls work in those types of method is often similar to the ones that we will be looking at, but I don’t want to confuse things with slight variations at this stage.

* It does not matter if the treble path is plain hunt, treble bob or something else.

We need to start with some basic terminology…

Rows and Changes

These terms are often used to mean the same thing, but strictly speaking:

• Rows are the sequences in which the bells ring, e.g. 123456, 214365 etc.

• Changes are the movement between two rows.

Leads

One thing that makes this sort of thing confusing is that ringing jargon uses the same words with multiple meanings. ‘Lead’ is an example, and it is important to understand the context in which I will be using it.

A ‘lead’ is a section of the method in which the treble completes one ‘cycle’ of its path. In Plain Bob Minor a lead is 12 rows long, in Treble Bob Minor it is 24 rows.

Lead Heads and Lead Ends

The first row of a lead is a backstroke and is called the ‘Lead Head’, the last row of a lead is a handstroke and is called the ‘Lead End’.

Examples:

• The first lead head of Plain Bob Minor is 123456 (rounds) and the first lead end is 132546.

• The second lead head of Plain Bob Minor is 135264 (the next row after the first lead end) and the second lead end is 153624.

• The first lead head of Kent TB Minor is 123456 (rounds) and the first lead end is 124365.

• The second lead head of Kent TB Minor is 142635 and the second lead end is 146253

Note that in treble bob, the lead heads/lead ends occur when the treble is ringing two consecutive blows in 1st place, not when it is in 1st place due to a dodge. This shows the rows around the first lead end of Kent TB Minor:

326154 B
231645 H
213465 B
123465 H
214356 B
124365 H <- Lead End
142635 B <- Lead Head
412653 H
146235 B
416253 H
461523 B
645132 H

Either term ‘lead head’ and ‘lead end’ can also be used to refer to the change between the two rows rather than the rows themselves. It should be obvious from the context when this is being done, as there will usually be a reference to the places being made during the change. There will be some examples of this later.

To add a bit of confusion, conductors will often try to put someone right by saying something like "lead end at backstroke" or "lead head dodges now" without caring which is the correct term. In the context of correcting ringing errors that does not matter, but for the theory of method construction and compositions it is important to use the correct terms.

The rest of this won’t make any sense if you don’t understand the above section. Re-read it if necessary, and have a look at the methods given as examples.

Place bells

‘Place’ is another word with multiple meanings in ringing. The blue line of a method can be broken into sections known as ‘place bells’. Each place bell consists of one lead. It starts at the lead head and carries on to the next lead head. The place bells are named according the the place where they start. For example:

• In Plain Bob Minor, ‘fourths place bell’ is what the fourth does in the first lead, i.e. pass treble in 2-3 down, two blows in lead, pass treble in 4-5 up, two blows in 6ths, dodge 5-6 down, then become 6ths place bell.

• In the second lead of Plain Bob Minor, bell number 2 will be 4ths place bell, in the third lead bell number 3 will be 4ths place bell.

So, the term ‘fourths place bell’ has nothing to do with making fourths place, or any other place. Depending on the method, it may include fourths place being made, but that is just a coincidence. It is just that it starts in fourths place at the lead head.

Also, the term ‘fourths place bell’ has nothing to do with bell number 4. All bells become 4ths place bell during the method, just as they will become all of the other place bells. Bell number 4 is the first bell to do it, but that is where the connection ends.

Have a look at some methods and be sure that you understand this before going any further.

It is important to learn the place bells for a method for several reasons.

• You know how to start, whichever bell you ring.

• It is easier for a conductor to put people right. Saying ‘Thirds place bell at backstroke’ puts a lost ringer in a precise place on the line. Even when not at the lead head, telling someone what place bell they are can help them find where they should be. This sort of thing is especially important in more complex methods, where a conductor can’t be expected to keep track of exactly what everyone is doing - it is a ringer’s job to get themselves right!

• ● You can ring spliced methods. When the conductor changes the method, you just switch the place bell that you were about to ring for the previous method to the same place bell for the new method.

• ● You don’t need to learn the bobs and singles from scratch for each new method. More on this shortly.

Place Bell Order

This is the in which a bell will reach the place bells during a course of the method. For instance, in Plain Bob Minor (assuming that we are starting from the second) this is 2 > 4 > 6 > 5 > 3 > 2, while in St Clement's it is 2 > 3 > 5 > 6 > 4 > 2.

The place bell order is directly related to the first lead head. For example, the first lead head in Plain Bob Minor is 135264. From this you can see that the second has become 4ths place bell - it is the fourth bell in the row. You can then see that the 4th has become 6ths place bell, the 6th has become 5ths place bell and so on. So, all methods with the same row as the first lead head have the same place bell order. Over time you will become familiar with these orders. That can be an aid to learning new methods: you see a new method and think "this the same order as …".

When you learn the line of a method, you should get in the habit of learning the place bells at the same time - don’t come back and try to learn them later.

In is often is possible to get a different method by changing the place from 2nds to Nths or vice-versa. This can be a useful way of quickly learning a new method.

For instance, a ringer might explain how to ring College Bob Minor by saying that it is "St Clements with a 6ths place lead head", or just "6ths place St Clements". Try comparing the two methods.

In both methods, each place bell is identical up to and including the lead end - the only difference is the single change where they move from the lead end to the lead head. Because the bells end up in different places at the lead head, this then changes the order in which the place bells are rung. E.g, in St Clements Minor, the order of the place bells (assuming that we are ringing the second) is 2 > 3 > 5 > 6 > 4 > 2. For College Bob it is 2 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 6 > 2.

The same thing will happen for all 2nds place methods with the same place bell order as St Clement's, e.g. Double Oxford Bob Minor can be rung with a 6ths place to give London Bob (not to be confused with London Surprise) which has the same place bell order as College Bob. A few other examples follow:

• 2nds place = Single Oxford Bob, 6ths place = Single Court Bob

• 2nds place = Double Bob, 6ths place = Reverse Bob

• 2nds place = Cambridge Surprise, 6ths place = Primrose Surprise

This doesn’t work for all place bell orders. For instance, Plain Bob (or any other 2nds place method with the same place bell order) will come round after one lead if rung with nths place. Similarly, Kent Treble Bob (or any other nths place method with the same place bell order) will come round after one lead if 2nds place is used.

Understanding the effect of symmetry in methods can help with method learning and understanding the effect of calls.

The work of a bell making a place at between the lead end and lead head (either at a call or a plain lead) is symmetrical: The work after the place is the reverse of the work before it. This can be seen when a bell makes 2nds, Nths, makes the bob or makes the single. The other bells form pairs that cross over between the lead end and lead head (e.g. a pair of bells cross over in 2-3 at a plain lead in an Nths place method or a bob in a 2nds place method). For each of these pairs, their paths are mirror images of each other: the work of each bell in the following lead is the reverse of the work of the other bell in the previous lead.

Bobs in Minor

In Minor, N=6, so the bobs in Nths place methods are made in 4ths. This is the same as for 2nds place methods.

Compare the effect of a bob at the end of the first lead of St Clement's with one in College Bob and you will see that they both produce exactly the same lead head. In St Clements, the bells in the Wrong and Home positions were unaffected, while in College Bob it is the bells in the In and Out positions that are unaffected, but the actual rows are identical.

However, singles are not identical, as a place will be made in 3rds or 5ths depending on the type of method.

Extending Lead Methods

Nth place methods where the bob has the effect of making the bells in Wrong and Home repeat the previous lead are known as ‘Extending Lead’ methods. Examples are Kent Treble Bob, Oxford Treble Bob and Bristol Surprise. Methods with this lead head order are traditionally rung with a 4ths place bob irrespective of the number of bells. This has the effect of making all of the bells above 4ths place repeat the previous lead, rather than just two. The reason for doing this is that it makes it easier to produce compositions with a lot of roll-ups.

When this is done, a single will consist of places in 2nds, 3rds and 4ths, instead of (N-2), (N-1) and N.

At the start of this article there was a list of types of methods that would not be covered. However, some are briefly mentioned here.

Principles

These do not have leads, lead ends or lead heads, as the treble follows the same path as the other bells. However, the structure of principles repeat at intervals called ‘divisions’ which are similar. Calls will often work in similar ways to those discussed. For instance in Stedman, Duffield or Original, bobs will usually affect three bells at the back, with a place being made in (N-2), while singles have places being made in (N-2), (N-1) and N. However, calls may not always be at the ‘division end’, and may occur in more than one point in the division (e.g. a division in Stedman is 12 rows, but calls can occur every 6 rows.

Asymmetric Methods

These will often use standard calls as described in this article. However, as the structure of the half-lead starting at the lead head is not the mirror image of the half-lead ending at the lead end, the work before and after the call will probably also be asymmetric (e.g. the path of a bell running In might not be a mirror image of the work of the bell running out.

Twin Hunt Methods

While these are usually symmetrical, the point of symmetry is different. Rather than occurring between the lead end and lead head, it usually happens as the treble is in 1-2 up (assuming that the second is the other hunt bell). From the point of view of the composer, this presents similar challenges to an asymmetric method. Once again, there is a need to get some symmetry at the calls, so they are entirely dependent on the structure of the individual method. Where the composition is not restricted by the need to get an extent (e.g. quarter-peals or peals on higher numbers) then calls that shift the paths of just 2 or 3 bells in a similar manner to ‘standard’ calls are sometimes used, but they do not usually happen at the lead end. For instance, in College Bob Triples or Double Norwich Caters it is common to use a bob which takes effect while the treble is in 4-5 up: a bell makes a place in 3rds while the pair in 1-2 cross over.

Single Hunt Methods on Odd Numbers

These usually behave in a similar manner to the standard calls. The slight complication is that there is no exact equivalent to 2nds and Nths place methods:

If a bell makes 2nds, then the pairs cross over n in 3-4, 5-6 etc. There is always a bell left over that has to make a place in Nths: it is both a 2nds and Nths place method! In practice, these are treated as 2nds place methods for the purposes of calls, affecting the bells in places 2, 3 & 4.

If pairs cross over in 2-3, 4-5 etc, then there is no bell left to make a place in Nths. However, these are treated as Nths place methods for the purposes of calls, affecting the bells in places (N-2), (N-1) & N.

Doubles Variations

These are often referred to as ‘ringing one method with the calls of another method’. What is actually happening is that when a call is made, the ‘other’ method (including the call) is rung above the treble from the period when the treble leaves the back until it get there again. It is closer to method splicing with the change of method at the half-lead. This is outside of the scope of these notes.