Previously we looked at calling a touch of Bob Doubles, and noted that there are four places when a bob can be called at that these are known, with respect to the 'observation bell' as:

  'in' -- called when the observation bell is about to dodge 3-4 down, and instead runs *in* to lead

 'out' -- called when the observation bell is about to make 2nds, and instead runs *out* to the back

 'make' -- called when the observation bell is about to dodge 3-4 up, and instead *makes* the bob

and
 'home' -- called when the observation bell is about to make 4 blows behind and is therefore unaffected by the bob, so it is already in its 'right' or 'home' position (this position used also to be known as 'right').

Fresh from our triumph at learning this (and in my case from calling it for the first time!) we shall move on to Grandsire, and I am going to try and talk about Grandsire Triples.

So first another quick recap, this time on ringing Grandsire Triples. Like all Triples methods this is rung on 7 bells (with the 8th bell 'covering', i.e. always ringing behind in 8th place). In a plain course, the treble and number 2 plain hunt, and the other bells plain hunt except when the treble is leading, whereupon they do one of: dodge 4-5 down, dodge 6-7 down, dodge 6-7 up, dodge 4-5 up, or make 3rds (and go back to the lead). When a bob is called, the bell that was going to dodge 4-5 down instead double dodges 6-7 down; the bell that was going to dodge 6-7 down double dodges 6-7 up; the bell that was going to dodge 6-7 up instead double dodges 4-5 up; the bell that was going to dodge 4-5 up instead makes 3rds place ('first 3rds') and becomes the bell in the hunt; the bell that was going to make 3rds place is unaffected and makes 3rds place ('last 3rds'); and the bell that was in the hunt with the treble comes out of the hunt and double dodges 4-5 down. The treble, of course, continues to plain hunt.

So, just as we did with bob doubles, we can write out a skeleton lead of Grandsire Triples, and note the position and names where the conductor can call a bob:


Remember that in Grandsire, bobs are called a stroke earlier than
they are in Plain Bob, so they are called a whole pull (handstroke
and backstroke) before the treble gets down to the lead.

1-X----

-1X----
-X1----
X--1---
X---1--
-X---1-
--X---1
---X--1
----X1-
----1X-
---1--X
--1---X  // 'wrong': causes  --1---X
-1---X-        bell X to double -1---X-
1---X--        dodge 6-7 down   1-----X
1--X---                      1----X-

-1--X--                      -1----X
--1X---                      --1--X-
--X1---                      ---1X--
-X--1--                      ---X1--
X----1-
X-----1
-X----1
--X--1-
---X1--
---1X--
--1--X-  // 'home' causes    --1--X-
-1----X        bell X to double -1----X
1-----X        dodge 6-7 up     1----X-
1----X-                      1-----X

-1----X                      -1---X-
--1--X-                      --1---X
---1X--                      ---1--X
---X1--                      ----1X-
--X--1-
-X----1
X-----1
X----1-
-X--1--
--X1---
--1X---  // 'middle' causes  --1X---
-1--X--        bell X to double -1--X--
1----X-        dodge 4-5 up     1--X---
1-----X                      1---X--

-1---X-                 -1-X---
--1---X                 --1-X--
---1--X                 ---1-X-
----1X-                        ----1-X
----X1-
---X--1
--X---1
-X---1-
X---1--
X--1---
-X1----  // 'in' causes         -X1----
-1X----        bell X to make   -1X----
1--X---        first 3rds and   1-X----
1---X--        go into the         1X-----
        hunt
-1-X---                 X1-----
--1-X--                 X-1----
---1-X-                 -X-1---
----1-X                 --X-1--
-----1X
-----X1
----X-1
---X-1-
--X-1--
-X-1---
X-1----  // 'before'
X1-----        bell X is
1X-----        unaffected
1-X----

This diagram shows five of the six different positions at which a bob
might be called depending on the position of the observation
bell. The sixth position is when the observation bell is the bell in
the hunt and the bob causes it to come out of the hunt -- and this
position is accordingly known as 'out'.

If the observation bell is 7, a common bell to choose, then we can see
that the 'home' bob causes our bell to double dodge 6-7 up and be in
7th place as the treble leads at backstroke -- this is bell 7's home
position. But if we call the bob so that bell 7 instead double dodges
6-7 down, then at the treble's backstroke lead we shall be in 6th
place, and that is clearly not our home position but our 'wrong'
position. Hence the name given to this call.

'In' causes the observation bell to go into the hunt, and 'out'
causes it to come out of the hunt.

'Before' is so-called because then the observation bell has been
runing down to lead immediately *before* the treble leads.

'Middle' -- presumably because it is called when the observation bell
is in 4th place (the middle of 7) of what would otherwise be an
uninterrupted hunt from the front straight up to the back.

Note that the 'in' and 'out' positions of Grandsire are entirely different from the 'in' and 'out' positions of Plain Bob.

Still, armed with this information, we can now explain the bellringing notes at the start of Section 2 of NINE, and we can grasp at the puns of the chapter titles.

simon