Elston Delight Minor

About Elston Delight Minor

Elston Delight Minor is best thought of as a combination of Cambridge Surprise above the treble combined with Oxford Treble Bob below, but with a 3rds place half lead.

5ths place bell is the pivot bell and with the 2nds place lead end, the calling sequence for 6ths observation is as per St. Clement's College Bob.

Method Structure.

Place Notation:
X 36 X 14 X 12 X 16 X 12 X 36, 12, Bob 14, Single 1234.

Grid:

Diagram: Elston Delight 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

If you are ringing any method to gain the skill of associating method structure with the work of the treble (valid goal), DO NOT learn the lines, learn the structure, ring, make mistakes and learn from them. Track-the Treble skills, Place Notation skills, coursing order skills can all be developed in this manner

Performance Level

If you are wishing to achieve 720s, Quarters, or peals:
start with the structural ringing as above, add in the bits that are natural to you.
Study 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 Elston. However, this is a simple variation on standard methods, and mastery should be considered.

Learning Elston Delight Minor.

The Structure

Experience of ringing St. Clement's College Bob, with the specific calling sequence is valuable when first ringing Elston Delight.

The Rules

Elston Delight Minor - the rules
Ring Cambridge Surprise over Oxford Treble Bob except at the half lead when 3rds place is made and the pair in 1-2 dodge together.

Double Blue Lines

Elston Delight Minor, 1-2

Diagram: Elston Delight Minor, 1-2.

Elston Delight Minor, 3-4

Diagram: Elston Delight Minor, 3-4.

Elston Delight Minor, 5-6

Diagram: Elston Delight Minor, 5-6.

Artefacts

The half lead place disrupts the slow work.

Place Notation and Grid

The pictorial grid emphasises the structure of the method better than the Place Notation.

Pictels

The rules are a good approach to the method, and splitting into individual elements is of no value.

Ringing Elston Delight Minor.

Track the treble

Awareness of the position of the treble is a key skill for most bellringing methods, and is the major key to ringing Elston Delight Minor. Some hints and tips for developing the skill are given in the techniques section.

Positional Awareness

Elston Delight Minor is highly fluid, and the comfort zone of the Oxford TB slow work is disrupted.

Place Notation Elements

The method only contains 6 elements (X, 14, 36, 16, 12), all of which will already have been rung.

Place Bells, Pivot Leads, and Staging posts

Place bell sequences:
1-2, 1-3, 1-5, 1-6, 1-4, 1-2
3-4, 5-2, 6-3, 4-5, 2-6, 3-4
6-5, 4-6, 2-4, 3-2, 5-3, 6-5.

For 5-6 pair, the pivot point is when the pair dodges together in 1-2, a sort of slow work hand-over.
For 3-4 pair, the pivot point is when they cross over in 4-5 at the Half Lead.

Awareness of other bells

Most ringers on encountering Elston Delight find it quite tricky to ring well. Structurally the method is "merely" a combination of standard methods, in practice it feels very different.

Coursing Order in Elston Delight Minor

Elston Delight exhibits natural coursing order above the treble.
Take note of the six points where a coursing pair dodge together.

Ringing the Method

Elston Delight Minor makes excellent use of the skill of following the treble in combination with the structural variation on Cambridge S. and Oxford TB.

Bobs and Singles.

Bobs replace the 2nds place at the Lead End with 4ths. This causes the bell that has just made 3rds to make the bob, make thirds once more.

Singles Singles are rarely used in Elston Delight Minor.

Touches of Elston Delight Minor.

5ths place bell is the pivot bell, and hence the first lead end is 142635 giving calling positions from the tenor as:
In, Out, 4ths, Wrong, Home as per St. Clement's College Bob.