Recommended progression for solo musician

[Paul Helling]

Hello,

About me: I've been ringing handbells in a variety of groups for about 6 or 7 years now and I got to do some solo work at my old church during lockdown (two songs from Easy Favorites for the Handbell Soloist). I recently purchased a used 3 octave set of handbells so that I could start doing solo work again.

My questions: Is there a recommended progression of solo repertoire for the budding handbell soloist? For example, what comes after Easy Favorites for the Handbell Soloist?

Thanks,

Paul Helling

[Silver Woodbury]

Sounds great, Paul!  I suggest you check out Sonology Music (https://sonologymusic.com/).  They started out as the Solo To Ensemble Project (STEP) by Kevin McChesney and Michael Kastner and has a lot of solo and ensemble arrangements with accompaniment scores as well.  Of course, you can check out Jeffer’s Handbell Supply Website (handbellworld.com) and do a search for solos.  Many sites have digital scores you can preview so you can see how difficult the solo might be.  Another source for solos is your good old church hymnal.  Work up the melody line.  I have complied a few medleys and bell tree solos from simply playing the unaccompanied melody line.  It can be really effective and meaningful for Advent and Lent/Good Friday.

 

Another thing I have done to avoid the need for an accompanist is to use Christian Karaoke CDs.  The problem is, these come with the lyrics, but not the melody written out, so you have to work that out.  For me, that’s part of the fun!  The down-side to playing with CD accompaniment is that the CD won’t wait for you to recover from a bobble!

 

Good luck and Happy Ringing!

Silver

 

Mrs. Silver D. Woodbury

Owner/Operator

Silverbell Enterprises

10012 Carnie Circle

Yukon, OK  73099

405-519-0331

silve...@cox.net or sbesil...@gmail.com

Artistic Director

Oklahoma City Handbell Ensemble

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[Paul Helling]

Hi Silver,

Thanks for the recommendations, especially the idea of using the church hymnal for inspiration. I love browsing Jeffer's Handbell Supply, but one of my difficulties with finding music on there is that solo music isn't always rated by difficulty, and when it is, the scale goes from easy to advanced. Unlike the HMA/AGEHR difficulty levels for handbell choir pieces, solo pieces don't seem to be rated with as much rigor, precision, or consistency. 

Just in case anyone on here has any business connections, I'd love to buy Intermediate Favorites for the Handbell Soloist if someone were to publish it haha.

Thanks,

Paul Helling

[Linda Krantz]

Hi Paul,

Congratulations on your foray into the wonderful world of solo ringing!  The options are endless, and vary, depending on your skill set and tools in your toolbox.

We (as soloists) have had many conversations about “leveling” solo music, but so much depends on how many tools a soloist brings to the table, and that is really what determines how difficult a piece might be.  For instance,  if a piece can be played with just weaving, and that is your skill set, that’s good, but if it requires traveling 4iH, that is a completely different skill set that will  make your solo ringing more fluid and with less motion.

I have been hosting a Zoom Soloist Roundtable since the beginning of the pandemic (although not on as regular a schedule as in the past).  I plan to host one on Thursday, November 2 at 4 pm Pacific Time.  If you’d like to come and ask about repertoire, we’d be more than delighted to help you choose your next pieces.  And, any other solo related questions you’d like to ask!  Reply privately to me and I’ll send you the link!

Linda Krantz, Solo Handbell Artist 🎶

Master Class Clinician, Private Teaching

After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music. 

[Linda Krantz]

Hi Paul,

Congratulations on your foray into the wonderful world of solo ringing!  The options are endless, and vary, depending on your skill set and tools in your toolbox.

We (as soloists) have had many conversations about “leveling” solo music, but so much depends on how many tools a soloist brings to the table, and that is really what determines how difficult a piece might be.  For instance,  if a piece can be played with just weaving, and that is your skill set, that’s good, but if it requires traveling 4iH, that is a completely different skill set that will  make your solo ringing more fluid and with less motion.

I have been hosting a Zoom Soloist Roundtable since the beginning of the pandemic (although not on as regular a schedule as in the past).  I plan to host one on Thursday, November 2 at 4 pm Pacific Time.  If you’d like to come and ask about repertoire, we’d be more than delighted to help you choose your next pieces.  And, any other solo related questions you’d like to ask!  Reply privately to me and I’ll send you the link!

Linda Krantz, Solo Handbell Artist 🎶

Master Class Clinician, Private Teaching

After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/handbell-l/8d910f7d-3b2e-41cf-b9dc-ae4d8d8ef4e7n%40googlegroups.com.