Mrs. Forrest wrote:

Our resident campanologist Simon in the little town of St Ives in
Huntingdonshire provided us with a Plain Course of Bob Doubles with 40 changes.
Excellent explanation, Simon, especially elucidating the cycle of jobs that
each bell goes through whenever anyone dodges.  Your notes at each deviation
from the plain course were very helpful.  But here is another question:  what
would actually be called verbally as that set of changes were rung?  Would
there be a reminder at each dodge or is it assumed, once the method is set,
that everyone will know when to dodge and the ring proceeds in silence?

For a plain course -- which is what I described -- there will normally be no calls other than to start and to finish, typically something along the lines of: 'Go Bob Doubles!' and 'That's All!', as indicated alongside the diagram in the earlier post.

A ringer who can ring Bob Doubles will not need to be told when to do these dodges -- they are a standard part of the method. Only the variations from these dodges will be called by the conductor -- these are the calls of 'Bob!' which I have not yet come to, and which move us from a 'plain course' to a 'touch'.

Of course, at a practice session, and with a novice ringer, it would in my experience be quite normal for the conductor to 'remind' the novice what they should be doing (or for the novice to have an experienced ringer standing behind them and quietly instruting them). Equally it is the conductor's responsibility to note that the course has gone awry and, if spotted immediately, and if they are sufficiently quick-witted as to work out the error and the correction, then to tell that person or persons what they should be doing.

This is a very impressive feat to me, though I can begin to grasp at it, since it involves not only remembering what you should be doing, and doing it, but also remembering what another ringer should be doing, noting that they haven't done it and getting your brain around the words necessary to correct them whilst not losing track of what is going on, and what you yourself should be doing. Obviously it all has to be second nature to be able to pull this off, although there are a few easy tricks that a novice conductor can pull.

Last week I was roped in (pun unintended) to ring a practice quarter peal with someone who wanted to mark their forthcoming ruby wedding anniversary. A quarter peal is about 3/4 hour, and we rang a touch with lots of calls of 'Bob' for about half an hour or so -- quite a long way towards a quarter peal (had it been true, i.e. no repeating changes, although we weren't worrying about that for a practice). At one point, as a bob was called, the treble lost his place and so did the number 2 bell. I was ringing 5, and as someone remarked afterwards I fell into the hole the other two had dug, and half-lost my place too. The conductor (ringing 3) was instantly able to tell each of us what we were supposed to be doing (okay so the treble was only plain hunting -- but where should it have got to?).

In a plain course this is much easier, and I can begin to do it -- e.g. if a novice is ringing 2, then if you ring 5, then when you are dodging 3/4 down then 2 is dodging 3/4 up with you, and vice versa, and when you are doing 4 blows behind 2 should be making 2nd's, and vice versa. And similarly for bells 3 and 4. When you have spotted this connection then it is moderately easy to remember it, and if they are lost to give them a clue. Experienced ringers will stare at a novice with whom they are dodging, or nod at them, or some such gesture.

However, in a proper peal or quarter peal, the rules do not allow the use of visual aids -- so you are not allowed to have a diagram visible to the ringers. Whether this also precludesnods and gestures from the other ringers I don't know.

simon