Exercises Following Session 6

It is important at this stage that you are beginning to become thoroughly familiar with the coursing order and are developing some skill in watching the bells as you pass them and can at least see who leads after you lead, even if not who is leading all the way through.

Don't worry if you are not yet able to sort out either Plain Hunt Doubles or the Plain Course of Plain Bob Doubles because this skill will come with time. The main thing is to keep practicing the skill of seeing what is going on with a good band around you and also seeing if you can spot when a learner has gone wrong.

1. Repeat the exercises for the previous sessions if necessary and also watch some courses of Plain Bob Minor using the coursing order (6)5324, or 5324. Make sure you can see that you pass the bells in this order.

2. Be sure that you understand the terms "Home" "Before" and "Wrong".

3. Be certain that you can remember the transpositions for each of the three calling positions:

Home = CBA applied to the last three bells

Wrong = CBA applied to the first three bells

Before = DBCA swap the first and last bells

Be sure that you realise that for a single at H it is the same three bells as Doubles and bobs at H in Minor. A single at W affects the same three bells as a bob at W in Minor and a single Before affects the bells either side of the Tenor in the coursing order and the result is that they swap.

4. Call some of the touches given in the notes. It is a very useful exercise to go through a touch before you call it just to make sure that the coursing order works out correctly.

5. Whilst calling some touches decide before each call which bell will make the bob, make 2nds and make 3rds and see if you can watch that bell actually doing it. Don't try to watch all three things at once but try each of them individually.