Need to know how to convert a Level 3 music into level 2 music

[Wendy Cheng]

Hi everyone,

I am beginning to realize that most of my less experienced ringers are in the battery section (D5 to B5)  and my more experienced ringers are in the high treble (C6-C7) and bass (E4 to B4).   So I would say level 2 is a happy medium for my ringers right now, but low treble bells needs to be made a bit easier.

Anyway, I picked a piece that I thought was easy, but the battery ringers are having too many problems  with bells changes and accidentals.  So I thought perhaps I can "rewrite" the battery portion so that it would be easier for them.  Only I don't know how, but I"m eager to learn!  Or maybe I should rewrite the whole thing in a new key and it would essentially be my very own arrangement.  I do have a copy of Dorico, if that helps . . .

Are there any handbell composers out there that would be will be to spend a few hours on Zoom to walk me through the procedure?  And talk about intellectual property and copyright issues?

The piece in question is in this book - 
https://www.handbellworld.com/music/MusicPiece.cfm?Piece=12037

It's called Chim Chim Cheree.  

Thank you!

Wendy

Wendy Cheng

Director, Bells of Glenaire

Cary, NC

[THOMAS SIMPSON]

Hey!

I've looked over the arrangement you linked to on Jeffers, and . . . . they seem weird.

There are a bunch of typos, and some odd writing - like not providing bass notes for 3 octave choirs; having instructions for omitting notes for 3 and 4 choirs, and then no indication in the score where those would happen. And to be honest, I've never even heard of these arrangements from Betty Garee. 

Martha Lynn Thompson has arrangements of these in her book called Mouseterpieces, and they are much more accessible. 

Just my 2 ¢. 

Thomas 

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F. Thomas Simpson

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609-529-3979

[Paul Kinney]

I looked over the arrangement. Yes, the issues Thomas laid out are important. Mostly that means you have to figure out what bells are appropriate for your 3 octave choir.

Beyond that... I looked at the Garee score (I haven't seen the Thompson score). Rhythmically the lower treble (well, the whole piece) is very much level 2. Most of the time these battery ringers have no techniques to worry about.

So the difficulty is, as you mention, only in handling the accidentals.

Which leads to a question -- what do you propose to do instead? Simplifying the harmony would significantly change the character of the piece, so not really possible. Changing the key, transposing the piece up or down only moves the bell change problems from one person to another. Transposing also makes the range issues that Thomas mentioned more of a problem. And transposing (or any other simplification) means copyright issues.

So I see two options:

1. Don't play the piece. Some pieces just aren't a good fit for some choirs.

2. Do careful analysis of the problem spots. Have the ringers practiced switching bells? Do they know how to weave? Do they know how to mark music to put down a bell when it is last used before the accidental and when going back to the regular note? If a spot still looks complicated can they sweet-talk a neighbor into helping them out?

Bell changes have been a part of our music ever since we wrote in accidentals. A bell ringer should know how to handle them. If you need help, that's what we're here for.

Paul Kinney

Redford Aldersgate, UMC

Redford, Michigan