There is a wonderful facility on the MRDC training bells, in that one can change the sound of the ring to any Norfolk ring that a certain local ringer has managed to get round to record. My standard Abel app offers handbell/towerbell/Worcester Cathedral, whereas the MRDC offers dozens of rings. Reedham was one of the first rings to be recorded and uploaded, but they are probably not the most sought after. They have been augmented to an 8, which does them no favours because if you “ring” the back 6 they are particularly slurry with the 5 and 6 almost indistinguishable from each other.
This week we were mucking about at a targeted treble bob practice and decided to try some alternatives. Why not ring people’s home towers – make the punters feel like they are at home?
We started with a lively Cambridge played on the Upper Sheringham bells. They whipped along at a good speed and the lady on the treble felt quite at home. Then St Giles came out to play for a plain course of Kent – a bit shouty for my taste, but their “owner” seemed to like them. Reedham enjoyed 3 leads of Cambridge – 3 singles so that I could practise the pivot lead. They were surprisingly throaty after the others, despite their modest weight. They sounded much more than an 8cwt ring of 6, and a Grown-up commented that they suited my ringing speed, and it is true that I like to make stately progress. It allows for some thinking time and holding up is much to be preferred to constant fiddling with rope length. Short ropes give me hives. Lastly, we tried some Oxford on the Halvergate bells which were roundly condemned as unpleasant sounding and the assembled company wondered why anyone goes on outings to grab anything so nasty. They should try ringing them for weddings and special services, as we do whenever requested by the rector. I doubt whether anyone has attempted anything as ambitious as Oxford on them for years – we can only manage rounds and call changes and experienced visiting bands struggle to do the same. And once again, by some unspoken agreement, we rang slowly and the training bells felt surprisingly “heavy” although nothing had changed other than some simulated sound.
And that is the mystery. Why do bells with simulated sound from somewhere meaty feel so different to bells from a skippy sort of ring? Why do we ring some at one speed and some at another because it just feels “right” to do so, although the actual handling is unchanged?
If you have a simulator and the ability to alter the ring, why not try for yourself? I can confirm that handbells rung on the cow bell option in ringingroom are remarkably clunky and feel heavy in the hand, despite the fact that they are not “real”.
The Accidental Ringer 