Allendale Surprise Minor

About Allendale Surprise Minor

Allendale Surprise is a member of the group of methods having 2nds Place Norwich Surprise above the treble, but with a 3rds place half lead making 6 the pivot bell.

Below the treble, the structure is a simple variation on Westminster Surprise Minor.

Allendale Surprise Minor, description.

Method Structure.

Place Notation:
X 34 X 14 X 12 X 36.12X12.36, 12 Bob 14, Single 1234.

Grid:

Diagram: Allendale Surprise Minor, plain lead, change-rows and grid.

Goals and learning approach

What you are trying to achieve needs to drive your approach.

Ringing by structure

Get going:.
Use whatever learning approach you like most to acquire enough knowledge to ring a plain course. Ring a few and see what aspects of the method spring out, and study these. Practice until courses and simple touches are ringable.

Performance Level

If you are wishing to achieve 720s, Quarters, or peals:
start with the "get going" as above, add in the bits that are natural to you.
Study the Double Place Bell sequences, and the lines.
Practice a lot.
Achieve some performances .

Method Mastery Level

It is unusual for a band to wish to achieve mastery in a method like Allendale.

Learning Allendale Surprise Minor.

The Rules

Assuming that Westminster Surprise Minor has already been learned):

Allendale Surprise Minor - the rules
Ring Westminster Surprise except when treble is dodging in 5-6. When treble is dodging in 5-6, ring 12X12 in place of X12X.

The Structure

Use of the grid is helped enormously by an ability to see the position of treble.

Double Blue Lines

The Double Blue Lines give a useful overview of the method, adding context which is helpful for overcoming trips.

The Double Place Bell sequences are identical with Plain Bob.

Allendale Surprise Minor, 1-2

Diagram: Allendale Surprise Minor, 1-2.

Allendale Surprise Minor, 3-4

Diagram: Allendale Surprise Minor, 3-4.

Allendale Surprise Minor, 5-6

Diagram: Allendale Surprise Minor, 5-6.

Artefacts

The Blue Line features worth noting are:

• Confusing multiple crumpled Christmas Crackers for 3-4.
• "Points" in 1-2 when treble is starting and then finishing the 4-5 Cross Section
• 7-pull staging post / handrail in 5-6 across the Lead End

Place Notation and Grid

The choice here is personal preference. The author’s preference is the visual nature of the grid.

Pictels

Section by Section

(To follow once more practise has been achieved).

Ringing Allendale Surprise Minor.

Track the treble

Awareness of the position of the treble is a key skill for most bellringing methods, and a significant help in ringing Allendale Surprise Minor. Some hints and tips for developing the skill are given in the techniques section.

Awareness of the position of the treble is useful as a structured counting technique. Nerts on ringing the frontwork:

• The only excitement is when treble's in 5-6.
• The 12X12 for each of the 5-6 sections
• 3rds place at the Half Lead
• "Points" sre rung in 1-2 when treble is starting and then finishing the 4-5 Cross Section; these are the transitions into and out of backward leading.

Positional Awareness

The long split between 1-2 and 3-4-5-6 is helpful. However, methods with long frontwork such as Hull, Bourne, and Westminster need careful learning and good concentration when ringing 2nds and 3rds place bells to ensure the work is right and no pair gets crossed over.

Allendale has an extra layer of difficulty in 1-2 owing to the backward leading; dealing with this:

• Study and memorise the double blue lines.
• Avoid the towerbell blue line diehard "stedman whole turns", instead recognise the point as first the transition out of right place into backward leading and then the transition back out of backward leading into right place working.
• The first point is preceded by a standard X12X (treble in 3-4 up)
• The second point is immediately followed by a standard X12X (treble in 3-4 down)
• "Points" sre rung in 1-2 when treble is starting and then finishing the 4-5 Cross Section

Place Notation Elements

The method only contains X, 36, 12, 16, 34, but 12X12 might be challenge.

Place Bells, Pivot Leads, and Staging posts

The double place bells sequences (Plain Bob) gives a comfort factor.

6ths place bell is the pivot bell, see notes above.

Awareness of other bells

Coursing Order in Allendale Surprise Minor

Natural Coursing Order is maintained above the treble.
The frontwork is performed by a coursing pair, and the treble bob work from 4-5 Cross Section to 5-4 Cross Section is in natural coursing order.

Ringing the Method

Ring this as an extension to Westminster as a means of practicing leading wrong.

Bobs and Singles.

Bobs replace the 2nds place at the Lead End with 4ths as per Plain Bob.

Touches of Allendale Surprise Minor.

6ths place bell is the pivot bell, and hence the first lead end is 135264 giving calling positions from the tenor as in Plain Bob.
Bobs only callings for Plain Bob Minor work for Allendale, but give twice the length of the Plain Bob calling.