York Surprise Minor

About York Surprise Minor

York Surprise is a combination of Cambridge above the treble and London below, in short: "Cambridge over London". As such it provides good practise at accurately striking the blows at lead in the backward hunting sections.

York Surprise Minor incorporates hunting (X 36 X) when the treble dodges in 1-2 with the standard 14 X 12 X 36 for regular surprise minor methods. However, the 5-6 sections are backward hunting on 4 bells ( .14 x 14.) linked by 3rds place at the half lead. The pivot bell is then the tenor giving Plain Bob Lead End order.

Time spent on York Surprise is "good value for money" as a member of the Cambridge Surprise above group of 7, and also the London Surprise below group of 6, there are plenty of opportunities to reapply the learning in the Surprise category alone.

York Surprise Minor is one of a group of 6 Surprise Minor methods all having identical work below the treble.

• Lightfoot Surprise Minor
• Rossendale Surprise Minor
• York Surprise Minor (Ibid)
• Alnwick Surprise Minor
• Canterbury Surprise Minor
• London Surprise Minor

Method Structure.

Place Notation:
X 36 X 14 X 12 X 36 .14 X 14. 36, 12; Bob 14, Single 1234.

Grid:

Diagram: York Surprise Minor, plain course, change-rows and grid.

Plain Course structure
York Surprise Minor is a fluid method in spite of the mixture of forward and backward hunting.

Learning York Surprise Minor.

Learn and ring Cambridge before starting on York.

Concerted study of the 5-6 sections will pay dividends. The pairs are roughly equally difficult, including 1-2.

The Structure

The position of the treble can be used to define the work of the other 5 bells. Dodging in 1-2 relates to hunting in 3-4-5-6
Dodging in 3-4 is standard for all regular Treble Bob, Delight and Surprise methods and has the essential structure of a Plain Bob Lead end (X 12 X). Dodging in 5-6 relates to the backward hunting in 1-2-3-4.
The 12 Lead End completes the structure of Cambridge above the treble.
The 36 Half Lead completes the structure of London below the treble.

The transition of the treble between dodging places is the standard (internal) places for a Surprise minor method, 14 for hunting in 2-3, and 36 for hunting in 4-5.

The Rules

York Surprise Minor - the rules
This is not a method that can be encapsulated in a simple, easily memorised, language statement other than "Cambridge over London".

Double Blue Lines

York Surprise Minor, 1-2

Diagram: York Surprise Minor, 1-2.

York Surprise Minor, 3-4

Diagram: York Surprise Minor, 3-4.

York Surprise Minor, 5-6

Diagram: York Surprise Minor, 5-6.

Pivot bell

Tenor bell passes treble in 3-2 and transitions from right place work into hunting wrong via a Stedman Whole Turn. This is the start of the London work, and as this is also the pivot bell, the wrong way hunting finishes at the next Stedman Whole Turn

135264 LE 12: Plain Bob; Morning Star T.B.; Westminster S.

1-2: 1-2, 1-4, 1-6, 1-5, 1-3, 1-2
3-4: 3-4, 2-6, 4-5, 6-3, 5-2, 3-4
5-6: 6-5, 5-3, 3-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-5

Ringing York Surprise Minor.

All of the foregoing memory techniques are aimed at enabling the ringer to know, with certainty, in which pair of places his or her bells are intended to be rung. The skill in handbell ringing is putting the bells into those places.

Notes and suggestions will follow in due course.

Bobs and Singles.

Bobs Bobs change the 1-2 of the lead end into 1-4, bells dodging in 5-6 are unaffected. Running in and out feels quite normal. Making the 4ths links together two sets of places.

Singles. Singles replace the dodge together in 3-4 with 3rds (which links together two sets of pivot work), and with 4ths with links together two sets of places.

Touches of York 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:
Wrong, 4ths, Before, In, Home.