Little Bob Major on Handbells

Introduction

Little Bob Major is a closely related subset of Plain Bob Major. In Little Bob at all stages, the treble hunts up to 4ths place, makes 4ths hand and back, and then hunts back down to lead. The 4ths place causes dodging in 5-6, and 7-8, and superficially the method is otherwise Plain Bob.

A lead of the method contains just 8 change rows and the Plain Course is 56 changes.

With the course of Little Bob containing exactly half of the rows in Plain Bob, and with a seconds place Lead End, the method should be a simple step up from Plain Bob. In fact, the perturbation caused by the half lead 4ths is severe giving rise to frequent changes of hunting pattern, some extra (half-lead) dodges, and a change to the lead-end order.

If a band is going to ring a serious length of Little Bob Major, some study time will give benefits of familiarity.

However, a valid approach is to NOT study the method, but to rely on seeing the treble making 4ths and reacting accordingly. The benefit of this approach is that it enables the discipline of watching for the position of the treble at all times.

Little Bob is frequently spliced with Plain Bob to give short courses. Plain Bob / Little Bob / Plain Bob brings up rounds after 40 rows.

The Structure

Diagram: Little Bob Major, plain lead rows and grid.

Approach to Little Bob Major on Handbells

The approach to Little Bob depends on your motive for ringing the method.

For Treble watching skill / or pure enjoyment:
Assuming the band is comfortable with Plain Bob, then skip the detailed learning, dive in, make mistakes, laugh and learn from the mistakes.

For Concentration skills / method ringing achievement:
Little Bob is harder than Plain Bob Major which should be tackled first. Once a recorded length of Little Bob is a realistic ringing target, there is no substitute for a thorough knowledge of the method.
There are extra, longer term benefits as the method introduces mixed hunting and dodging at the half lead, and this feature is found extensively in Suprise Methods.

Little Bob Major learning points

• The dodging work at the Lead End is identical with Plain Bob Major
• The lead ends come in a different order
• The calling positions come in the order: Wrong, Middle, Before, and are clustered in the middle of the course.
• Compositions for Plain Bob Major with calls only at Wrong, Middle and Home will produce a touch one half as long as for Plain Bob.
• Compositions with calls Before need to be specifically designed for Little Bob owing to the Lead End order.

Description of the pairs

Ringing 1-2 to Little Bob Major

The ringer of 1-2 needs to be very reliable when ringing quarters or peals, as the dodging work of all the pairs is defined by the half-lead 4ths and the full-lead lead of the treble, and many, very competent ringers very heavily rely on the treble being in the right place.

Diagram: Little Bob Major, 1-2.

The "inside" pairs

Ringing 3-4 to Little Bob Major

Diagram: Little Bob Major, 3-4.

Ringing 5-6 to Little Bob Major

Diagram: Little Bob Major, 5-6.

Ringing 7-8 to Little Bob Major

Diagram: Little Bob Major, 7-8.

Touches of Little Bob Major

For hundreds of touches of Little Bob Major see Complib