Today is a positive day, so I shall indulge in a little positivity.
My first surprise major on handbells under my belt and it took much hard work by all of the band. The conductor had to do more than merely shout "bob" at irregular intervals and the stress in her voice became increasingly evident as we neared the end. The last single was uttered with an air of exhaustion as well as of triumph because steering a band of such relative inexperience through increasingly ambitious pastures is hard work and takes effort.
What to attempt as an encore? I pleaded for something not too far removed from Yorkshire because I need to consolidate what I can do before attempting anything silly like London. Cambridge was proposed and the same composition as before to relieve some of the hard work required. I got on to it that evening. I was advised that it was Yorkshire above the treble and to watch out for the unusual 1258 place notation when the treble is in 3-4. Naturally, this did not mean much to me but once I started to write it out, it meant a great deal very quickly. "Hang on", I thought, "I know over half of this already". The start of each lead and the end of each lead when the treble in 1-2 is obviously identical because however low the 2 bell may be, it must be above the lowly treble, the pivot lead is identical from the trebles (Yorkshire=Cambridge), and other parts of the remaining leads are also familiar ground. And, if the treble is passed, then the little blocks have to be different from what you expect which delivers a stonking great clue as to which way to go. The rule is Do not do what your natural instinct to do is, which is easy enough to remember. I can imagine that, in the heat of the moment, it will be tempting to lapse into the wrong method, but if we maintain Cambridgeshire accents throughout and spurn broad Yorkshire vowels, it might make it easier. I am sure that there will be little hooks and signposts along the way and who can miss a 1258 once it has been brought to their attention? The relevance of passing the treble becomes increasingly important and as long as I am wielding it myself, that should be reasonably straightforward.
I have never rung Cambridge Major in a tower or indeed heard anyone else ring it in real life because I do not attend those sort of practices, but it does not feel too unfamiliar. It will need practice, more practice and yet more practice but I do not think that it will as take as long to grasp as my first surprise major because it builds on the already known rather than requires a blank sheet to be doodled on.
Onwards and upwards and what fun there is to be had. It beats Plain Bob doubles in the tower any day.
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