Method & Stage Progressions

Ringing a variety of methods spices up the enjoyment of ringing and at the same time may require further skills. This page matches, as best possible, methods to the skills discussed in the Concepts pages and in Conducting.

There is no substitute for just ringing a lot. Aim to ring 1,000 courses of Plain Bob Minor on your way to Mastering Plain Bob.

Method progress often has more benefits than just the ringing of methods of increasing complexity. Progress can be seen in the different method structural elements able to be rung, in the ability to survive trips, in the ability to conduct, in the ability to remember.

A thorough grounding in Plain Bob is essential before trying advanced methods. 1,000 courses is not too many. Ring a few peals of Plain Bob Minor, it is a way of banking your skills for future use.

Starting in Plain Bob, and jumping straight to Cambridge Surprise is perfectly feasible if you have a young and lively mathematical mind, and a gift for method ringing. More normal people would benefit from ringing some Plain Methods to expand the skills base, and some simple Treble Bob before diving in to Surprise.

It is generally worthwhile aspiring to performance level ringing in all methods apart from Bastow Little Bob and Kent Little Bob.

Minor Methods

Diagram: 1r.09.01 Minor method progression - skills matrix part 1.

Diagram: 1r.09.02 Minor method progression - skills matrix part 2.

Major Methods

We do not have sufficient experience, yet, to create this section. Offers of advice would be welcomed.

Kent / Oxford / Cambridge Minor => Yorkshire S Major
Our instinct is to step from Plain Bob to Kent and Oxford T.B., and from there to Yorkshire Surprise via Cambridge S Minor. But we have insufficient experience of Cambridge vs Yorkshire Surprise Major on handbells to choose between them for an entry into more complicated methods.

Kent / Oxford / Norwich Minor => Cornwall S Major
However, Norwich Surprise Minor is a more natural progression from Kent and Oxford Treble Bob Minor, and the step from Minor into Major might be more easily made with Cornwall Surprise as a first Surprise Major Method. As Cornwall is not currently a standard method in East Yorkshire, its adoption would also fulfil the Simon Humphrey criterion of being sufficiently different to ensure people "do their homework".

Ringing handbells on higher numbers of bells

We do not have sufficient experience, yet, to create this section. Offers of advice would be welcomed.

Our instinct is to step from Plain Bob to Little Bob, Bastow LB., Kent and Oxford T.B., and in practising those we should imprint the hunting patterns on the higher numbers, and should develop some awareness of position.