Warkworth Surprise Minor

About Warkworth Surprise Minor

Warkworth Surprise is a member of the Westminster S. group of methods and has pure Norwich Surprise above the treble.

Below the treble, the structure is complex with an asymmetrical 5-6 section giving rise to backward leading and interesting "pointy" work.

Method Structure.

Place Notation:
X 34 X 14 X 12 X 36.14X12.36, 16 Bob 14, Single 1456.

Grid:

Diagram: Warkworth 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 Warkworth.

Learning Warkworth Surprise Minor.

The Rules

The asymmetrical 5-6 sections are not easily expressed as a "rule".

The Structure

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

Warkworth has only one regular method with the same work below the treble, Belvoir Delight, a member of the Cambridge Delight Group. Hence there is little to do other than study the lines and artefacts, thumbs, Abel, and get ringing.

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 Norwich Surprise.

Warkworth Surprise Minor, 1-2

Diagram: Warkworth Surprise Minor, 1-2.

Warkworth Surprise Minor, 3-4

Diagram: Warkworth Surprise Minor, 3-4.

Warkworth Surprise Minor, 5-6

Diagram: Warkworth Surprise Minor, 5-6.

Artefacts

The Blue Line features worth noting are:

• The Cat's Ears in 3-4 for 2nds Place Bell .
• The backward leading through the 5-6 section, coupled with the Cat's Ears mirroring the work of the treble and creating a 4-bell box.
• The Cat's Ears are pointy-fourths, these fit with bells ringing pointy-thirds that meet and cross in 4-5 within the half lead box.

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

It's pure Norwich for 2 sections and pure Warkworth for the last section..

Ringing Warkworth 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 Bacup Surprise Minor. Some hints and tips for developing the skill are given in the techniques section.

Positional Awareness

Place Notation Elements

The method only contains X, 36, 12, 16, 34, but 14X12.36.12x14 might be a challenge.

Place Bells, Pivot Leads, and Staging posts

2nds place bell is the pivot bell, see notes above.

Awareness of other bells

Coursing Order in Warkworth Surprise Minor

• Natural Coursing Order is maintained above the treble.
• 2nds place bell, the pointy-pivot bells is key to the coursing order below the treble.
• The backward leading, which starts as 2nds place bell leaves the front to do Cat's Ears in 4ths, is 3, 4, 3, 4 (course bell and afterbell for 2).
• The pair that dodged together in 5-6, cross over in 4-5 at the Half Lead, just like Norwich.

Ringing the Method

We have no advice other than learn the method thoroughly.

Bobs and Singles.

Bobs replace the 6ths place at the Lead End with 4ths as per Norwich.

Touches of Warkworth Surprise Minor.

2nds place bell is the pivot bell, and hence the first lead end is 142635 giving calling positions from the tenor as in Kent and Oxford T.B.