Exercises Following Session 1

 

It is important that you don't use the Magic Row for anything other that Plain Hunt at this stage. The following exercises are just aimed at getting you to be able to retain it in your head whilst ringing and seeing how it relates to what you can see.

 

1. Make sure that you understand how to obtain the Magic Row on different numbers of bells - start with the Tenor and then down the odd numbers and up the even numbers.

 

2. Ring Plain Hunt Doubles from the 5th and use the Magic Row for Doubles (5 3 1 2 4) to see: the order in which you pass the bells; the order in which the bells come to lead; the order in which the bells lie behind. If this varies from the Magic Row then you've spotted a mistake. You could try to correct it.

 

3. Repeat exercise 2 for Plain Hunt Minor after working out the appropriate Magic Row.

 

4. If you feel brave, repeat exercise 2 for Plain Hunt Triples or Major, after working out the appropriate Magic Row. Since the Magic Rows for Triples and Major are long it will come as no surprise if you can't do this exercise. This doesn't matter because most ringing up to spliced surprise maximus can be conducted with a five figure row.

 

5. Whatever else you ring make sure that you can decide the correct Magic Row for the number of bells and keep it in your mind whilst ringing, at least for the simpler methods. Recite the row to yourself before each piece of ringing that you do. Don't try to use the Magic Row for anything other than Plain Hunt at this stage.

 

6. When ringing Plain Hunt on a bell other than the Tenor try changing the Magic Row so that it starts with your bell. You can then more easily see the order in which you pass the bells and in which they lead and lie.

 

7. You might make up a random Magic Row, say 1 5 2 4 3, and try to remember it as you ring something. The skill of holding Magic Rows in your head whilst ringing will take some time to acquire so start practicing now.

 

8. Once you are comfortable with keeping the Magic Row in your head whilst ringing you might like to try some Plain Hunt Doubles (don't try minor or higher - too many bells) in which you start from a row other than Rounds by calling call changes. Do the following:

 

            Work out the correct Magic Row - 5 3 1 2 4.

            Call "1 to 2". This swaps 1 and 2 and therefore the Magic Row changes to 5 3 2 1 4.

            Try to do the change in your head.

            Ring Plain Hunt Doubles and see if you can see your passing bells and the leading and lying bells in the

new Magic Row.

Go back to Rounds with "2 to 1" and try some other, maybe multiple, call changes, swapping the bells in the Magic Row that are swapped with the call change.

Make sure you understand that whatever bells are swapped their numbers are also swapped in the Magic Row and that the new Row is used in exactly the same way as the original one.

 

 

Back to the Conducting Course Index.