Group name - Hull Handbell Change Ringers

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Compositions

Compositions

Introduction

Once a ringer has mastered Plain Courses, there is a natural inclination to ring touches, longer touches, extents and even full peals. These activities need a conductor, and a conductor needs compositions. These pages provide compositions for the methods covered by this website.

We have also looked at compositions from the viewpoint of a struggling learner, and analysed them for challenges and learning content. Even if you have no ambition to become a conductor, understanding conducting and compositions is a valuable extension to a bellringer’s knowledge.

To get the maximum benefit from these pages, a ringer needs to be comfortable with the following concepts (follow the links to browse the glossary of terms).

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Appendix

Method types

The scope of the methods covered on this site is essentially restricted to regular methods. The local meaning of "regular" is defined in the glossary.

For our purpose, methods that have the same leadhead codes have the same compositions. A good example of this is St Clements College Bob Minor and Double Oxford Bob Minor. Because they both have Lead Head Code f, 142635, any composition for St Clements College Bob will work for Double Oxford Bob and vice versa.

Note that in some circumstances compositions will work for a set of methods containing more than one Lead Head Code. We have not documented generic compositions as such, favouring clarity of exposition over purity of analysis. So, for example, composition for Plain Bob (Lead head a) that will also work for Double Bob (Lead head b) are documented separately for each method.

Methods with 2nds place lead ends need to be approached differently from those with 6ths or 8ths place. So whilst the Lead End Change Row might be identical, the observation bells work differently, and hence the compositions are laid out differently, and hence the challenges for the conductor are different.


Composition Layout

There is no agreed standard way of writing down a composition, so we have opted for maximum clarity as opposed to maximum economy of space.

For example:

11: 1264 Plain Bob Major

1264 Plain Bob Major - Complib layout

23456 W    M    B H

43256     -S
34265 - --S    - S-
23456 - --S    - -


11: 1264 Plain Bob Major

1264 Plain Bob Major - as shown on this website

W V F B I M H 23456 53246 Rows

BS 43256 53426 224
B BBS 24536 34256 336
1 SB 34265 64325 240
B BBS 23654 43265 336
1 B 23456 53246 128

Total 1264

Abel Composition Code

H SH W 6 6 S6 3 SH H W 6 6 S6 3 H


After the first Bob Home, 3-4 are coursing until the end of the quarter peal.

See Complib 10500 for an analysis.



Minimus

Compositions to follow:


Doubles

Compositions to follow:


Minor

Handbell compositions for Minor Methods:

Groups of compositions for the various Minor Methods detailed on this site are available at:
Minor Compositions Index


Triples

Compositions to follow:


Handbell Compositions for Major Methods:

Groups of compositions for the various Major Methods detailed on this site are available at:
Major Compositions Index


Caters

Compositions to follow:


Royal

Compositions to follow:


Cinques

Compositions to follow:


Maximus

Compositions to follow: