Each time the Clanging Belles meet a handbell challenge, it is an opportunity to set a new one. Since I am the most inexperienced, I am often the one who is most challenged, although I have been known to set silly challenges off my own bat, usually because I am so very ignorant, I have no idea how silly the suggestion is. Why else would we have rung a quarter of Stedman Triples when two of us had never rung it in hand before, and one of us had never rung it at all (and still has not managed even a plain course in a tower).
This week we completed our current project and discussed the next step. What should we do? I suggested something that did not require too much homework for everyone because the others are busy learning complicated compositions of spliced surprise major for the tower. I have no such excuse, but realise that I need to be prepared to move inside and away from the trebles and tenor. So far, I have not come up against anyone more inexperienced than me who needs them, but one lives in hope that one day someone will say “ I would like to ring handbells, and not stop at Plain Bob”. On that auspicious day, I will need to cede the easier pairs, so must be ready.
“How about Kent, and I take the 3-4?” I hazarded? Another Belle has a slight allergy to Kent and has not yet rung inside to it either, so we decided on a “first” – the two inside pairs rung by people who are not too sure about inside bells to Kent.
A composition was suggested and off I went to fire up Abel. In my ignorance, I struggled to input “befores” so returned to the conductor for advice – “put in O, they are Outs” she advised – of course they are, but why would I know that? So I put in Os and up came 1312 rows of Kent Treble Bob Major, mine for the taking. Took them I did.
My main concern was not the line and the possible combinations of bells, but knowing when to make the places. Spotting the lead end is all very well if you are no-where near 3-4, but if you are in the danger zone, then you need to know before the treble leads, else some crashing about ensues. It should be salvageable if everyone else is solid, but woe betide the band if someone else is also a bit unsure. I voiced my concern and was told to look for when the treble is below me. This phrase “the treble below” crops up regularly and up until now I have never known what that actually looks like. Spotting the lead end is still a relatively new skill since I always grab the little ones for myself – but “below” me is uncharted territory.
However, in Kent it is of the utmost importance so whilst practising I watched the treble like a hawk. That is once I had located it – I tend to look left not right round the circle, similar to how posh people react when entering a British Airways airplane, so found I had an unnatural interest in the 5 bell for a few leads. To my surprise the “rule” actually works as long as you are not in the slow, when different rules apply. Once the treble is below, you must be ready to make places if you can, and the sort of places will be obvious because of the direction of travel. That is all there is to it. Bob along, make places after you spot the treble below and trust that the treble ringer knows what she is doing.
This new learning is as applied to ringing with a perfect Abel band at a speed of my choice. Now I need to test how far I have internalised the pattern so that I can mange when things wobble and I require the resilience to hold my course. That is not yet an easy step for me, but I have made an encouraging start.
The Accidental Ringer 
Another way to think about this is in terms of your place bells. Even though Kent is not a method to learn by place bells, because all the work is so similar, it’s important when ringing to know when the lead end occurs, and then you know your place bells simply by where you find yourself. Places in are in 4th place bell, at the beginning and end. It’s also worth noting when you become 6th place bell, because it gives you a lead’s notice that you are going to become 4th place bell. And 6th place bell dodges with the treble in 3-4 down, which is a good landmark and might be easier to spot than the treble being below you. Places out are in 3rd place bell, after leaving the slow.
All of the above is a bit easier to apply if you’re ringing a coursing pair, because the two bells make places in consecutive leads. If you’re in the 3-4 position there’s a one-lead delay after the first bell does places until the other bell does places, and because of that you make places with yourself after the first bell leaves the slow. In the 5-6 position the delay is so long that the first bell gets all the way through its places in, slow work and places out before the second bell has to think about places in.
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