Knowledge and skill, fitting in.

As a learner, you might be struggling with the scissors dodges in Bob Minor, and thinking, "What has this got to do with leadership?" Quite a lot is the answer.

Come the day you have mastered the simple methods, and you're now the expert in the room, remembering what it was like to struggle with a concept, and remembering the "light bulb" moments is vital to leading a group forward.

Like chewing properly at mealtime, "make the most of every moment".

The Learning Process

Learn, test, practice, review.
Learn, test, practice, review.
Learn, test, practice, review.

The cycle of learn, test, practice, review continues until you stop ringing and you're measured up for a wooden box.

Example: Learning 5-6 to Double Bob Minor

Learn, test, practice, review - 1.
Learn: Memorise the double blue line.
Test: Tell your friend or partner the double line work, thus testing whether you got it.
Practice: Ring 5-6 on Thumbs with emphasised counting.
Review: Did you make any memory slip-ups?
No? - great.
Yes? Try to find why, and go back over until you have it corrected in memory.

Learn, test, practice, review - 2.
Learn: Add on where you pass the treble to what you know of the blue lines.
Test: Tell your friend or partner the updated double line work, thus testing whether you got it.
Practice: Ring 5-6 on Abel. (Slowly if you wish)
Review: Did you make any memory slip-ups?
No? Great.
Yes? NB. Making mistakes is part of life, the trick is to learn from them, and defeat the cause.

Learn, test, practice, review - 3.
Learn: Check when each of your bells makes 5ths or 2nds, noting how you go into or come out of 2-3 pattern hunting, and that the treble spaces your pair 3 apart.
Test: Describe the added understanding to your friend or partner, thus testing whether you got it right.
Practice: Ring 5-6 on Abel. (Maybe a bit faster). Look for the treble doing the things you have just learned.
Review: Do you feel ready to ring it with the band?
Yes? - great.
No? - fully understood, keep practicing.
Double Bob Minor, at 2hrs peal speed, striking over 9 on Abel: Get the handbells out and give it a try.

Making it personal

The cycle of Learn, test, practice, review is fine, maybe obvious.
But where do you start with a complex method?

There is no universal answer to this question.
Every ringer brings a unique set of experiences, and blend of skills, and what works well for some doesn't work so well for others. Blind ringers and sighted ringers can ring together happily, they can't posibly have the same mix of skills.

So the answer to this question is personal to you. Whatever you like most, be it lines, grids, pictels, rules, treble associated places, coursing order, - learn enough to ring a course on Abel or Thumbs, or even with the band if they're patient enough. Then do your review; what worked and what didn't? Where were you weakest?

Then restart the learning cycle.

Why is it so hard? (Asked the towerbell ringer)

Towerbell ringers are justly proud of their ability to adapt to different ringing circles, rope lengths and springiness, conducting styles, and methods of all difficulty. With a reasonable sense of rhythm and a competent band, learning the work sequence of a blue line, together with the ability to see the treble, a towerbell ringer can gave a perfectly respectable career in the tower.

But given two bells to ring, no asssistance with rhythm, and seemingly a breakneck speed; the tower skills no longer help.

To add handbells to the towerbell achievements needs a re-think of the method learning process. Everything has to be re-learned in order to apply it to a pair of bells.
Maybe even learn stuff that the towerbell ringer never needs, at least not before they start conducting in the tower.

Take Delight and a joyful Surprise

All the learning on handbells is useful in the tower, nothing goes to waste. Sure, you don't start Kent TB Major from 1-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, but even learning 7-8 to Kent gives insights to the way that the bells work together that most towerbell ringers miss.

Take delight in learning more about the methods, and be joyfully surprised at the benefits.