Singing bell dowels

[Valerie Stephenson]

Hello again on this topic.  For this one, I have taken a really simple approach.  Go to your local hardware or craft store that carries dowels; buy anything from 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" (often simply whatever they have), about 8-10" lengths. (I used 9" cause it divides nicely into the usual yard, 36", dowel offerings).  No special coating; didn't even ask about the wood... it's WOOD, came from some unfortunately demised tree... and if you experiment, you will make your bell sing.  You can complicate it with plastic coating or special woods, but in this case, I choose "simple", and I'm betting it works for you too.  Occam's Razor = the simplest solution is often the best one.  LV

 

Valerie W. Stephenson
904-880-1806
vale...@comcast.net
If you think you are too small to make a difference,
close yourself in a dark room overnight with a mosquito!

[Ken and Linda Lamb]

I'm about to start up my fall handbell groups, and I would like the collective wisdom of the list to help me with a problem that I've observed, not only in  my groups, but in other groups, also.  It goes like this:
 
The ringer, let's say the A/B5 ringer, has two notes in a measure, the A on beat two, and the B on beat three.  The passage is not supposed to be LV.  The ringer plays the A followed by the B, and THEN damps.   But the ringer just doesn't damp until he has rung his two notes.  Then, he's "done," so he damps them both.  I've tried various exercises, and they do fine with the exercise, but when we return to a piece we're rehearsing, they go back to their old habits. 
 
Any ideas how to help this ringer remember to damp when they should?
 
Thanks,
Linda Lamb
 
 

[Sondra Tucker]

Cattle prod?  Stun gun? Tequila? (the last would be for you).
Sondra Tucker

[Meredith Ann Gaines]

I have often had ringers, in a rehearsal exercise, ring the first note and mart the second, with a focus on when the first note is to damp.

Then immediate go to ringing first and second.  So it would be: ring A, mart B, ring A, ring B, and so on.  Over and over.

Then, of course, switch the exercise by switching which hand comes first. Lots of muscle memory practice.

I have found that marting the second note can give the ability to focus on the damp of the first while still have action on the second, but it is important to include the actual action of ring A ring B.

Does all that make sense?  Not sure if it is the best way to focus ... but it has worked for me.

Meredith Gaines

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[Wendi]

I use and sell oak dowels (www.singinghandbells.com). Lightly sanded.
1" to 1-1/8" in diameter, 6.5" - 7" in length. In fact, you can use a
length of 3"-4" with no problem. We use these in my church choir and
in Heartland Ringers (www.HeartlandRingers.com).

We have also used pine but since it is a soft wood, it takes a little
longer to get the bells to sing, but it does work. Oak starts all of
them within 3-4 rounds of the bell. No coatings and no finishings are
put on the wood. All wood is recycled (comes from discarded ends of
larger dowels used at a production company).

Simple is definitely the best way to go!

On Sep 7, 7:23 am, "Valerie Stephenson" <valeri...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Hello again on this topic.  For this one, I have taken a really simple approach.  Go to your local hardware or craft store that carries dowels; buy anything from 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" (often simply whatever they have), about 8-10" lengths. (I used 9" cause it divides nicely into the usual yard, 36", dowel offerings).  No special coating; didn't even ask about the wood... it's WOOD, came from some unfortunately demised tree... and if you experiment, you will make your bell sing.  You can complicate it with plastic coating or special woods, but in this case, I choose "simple", and I'm betting it works for you too.  Occam's Razor = the simplest solution is often the best one.  LV
>
> Valerie W. Stephenson
> 904-880-1806

> valeri...@comcast.net

[Nancy Tipton]

If screaming doesn't help, sometimes tears will work. No one likes to see his handbell director cry. Just kidding . . . it's a serious problem, and I usually have to walk around in front of the tables during pieces with my beginning groups and remind certain individuals constantly to damp.

--

[TimR]

Damping. Sigh. That's not something I've had any luck with either.

Could it be somewhat of a flexibility issue? Many of our ringers are,
er, "long time" ringers. It takes some flexibility to get a small
bell near a shoulder or wherever it is they touch, and that
flexibility fades as we get wiser.

Bells are poorly designed, of course. Like a piano, the clapper
should contain an internal damper pad. Thumb activated - the normal
ringing motion will release the damper pad just like pressing a piano
key does. Relaxing the thumb dampens the bell.

[Ken and Linda Lamb]

OK, cattle prod for rehearsal and tequila for after.
 
LindaL
 

---

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 07:39:53 -0500
Subject: Re: [HB-L] Ringers who don't damp when they should
From: sondra...@gmail.com
To: handb...@googlegroups.com

[Charlotte McPherson]

I know what you mean how skills you can perfect when you are doing drills don't carry over into the real music. I think it's a muscle memory and focus issue. (But what do I know?!?!?) How about isolating the troublesome measures in the music and make a drill based on the actual notes that need to be rung and damped independently? (That way the whole group gets to practice the skill and nobody is singled out.) Is the problem in the melody line? Then pull just the melody line out of the music for them to practice. Ask them to listen to themselves for clean damping. Have them practice the melody line all ring touch a few times to build some muscle memory of bringing each hand back to the shoulder one at a time. Don't move on right away after they play it right the first time. Challenge them to do it right X number of times correctly in a row. Again, It's building muscle memory. If it's a focus issue, perhaps the ringer can make some mark in their music to remind them to be aware in those spots. Perhaps a box around the notes?

Hope this helps,

Charlotte McPherson

[Susan T. Nelson]

Hahaha!! I was thinking along the same lines.

Sue

[TimR]

On Sep 7, 10:52 am, Charlotte McPherson <princessoftide...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> I know what you mean how skills you can perfect when you are doing drills
> don't carry over into the real music. I think it's a muscle memory and focus
> issue.

I think that they do not hear the bell they've just rung, as they
focus on the sound of the bell they're about to ring. The muddiness
that drives me nuts in front is not audible to them, they hear the
correct note at the correct time (well, some of the time!) and not the
carryover.

[Ann or Bob Frederking]

Sent  (along with several others) under the subject of "singing bell dowels"

Since I asked the original question about singing bell dowels and have really limited time at the moment, I would REALLY appreciate it if you would change the subject to apply to the content of the message.

Thanks.
Ann (who is still hoping for more commentary on the singing bell dowels)

At 02:33 PM 07/09/2010, you wrote:

On Sep 7, 10:52 am, Charlotte McPherson <princessoftide...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> I know what you mean how skills you can perfect when you are doing drills
> don't carry over into the real music. I think it's a muscle memory and focus
> issue.

I think that they do not hear the bell they've just rung, as they
focus on the sound of the bell they're about to ring.  The muddiness
that drives me nuts in front is not audible to them, they hear the

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[Michele Sharik]

There's really not much else to be said about it, Ann. I just use plain
closet rod dipped in Tool Dip. Some people are happy using mallet
handles. Still others prefer a pre-made stick.

-Mich�le

[Long...@aol.com]

Nathan Simms also makes and sells them - pre-cut and half dipped in a plastic coating, so you can choose which end to use.  Contact  Keys...@aol.com  for more info.

 

Kath

[Doug Jones]

High pressure water hose? That'll get those bells good & damp!

Doug Jones
SF Bay Area

[Conni Shellhorn]

Forwarding this for a friend:

************************************************************************

A friend asked tonight this question: Does anyone have an exploded diagram
or assembly instructions for Whitechapel? Our C6 fell apart tonight at
rehearsal; the pin is missing and there's a spring that we can't figure out
how it works. Don't know if anything else is missing or not. I'll call
Jeffers or someone in the morning, but I would like to know what I'm talking
about. Googling wasn't successful. Thanks in advance.

************************************************************************

Thanks.
Conni Shellhorn
Napa CA

[Kathy Smith]

Connie:
I do have a diagram, will scan and email it to you.
Hope you have success in fixing your bell,
Kathy Smith
Saginaw, MI

[Joern Diedrichsen]

Hello Conni,

there is a good assembly drawing of whitechapel handbells at the
Handbellworld website:
http://handbellworld.com/images/bellparts/WBellDesign.jpg

Regards,
Joern

http://www.handglocken.de/
http://www.handbells.eu/

[Susan T. Nelson]

Hey, that's great, thanks for sharing.  I have a similar poster (same coloring, etc.) in the music room that has Schulmerich & Malmark assembly as well as WC.  I got it years ago along with a Jeffers vibes (I think) catalog.  

Sue

[Joern Diedrichsen]

They have the diagrams for all three major handbell brands:

Malmark: http://handbellworld.com/images/bellparts/MBellDesign.jpg

Schulmerich: http://handbellworld.com/images/bellparts/SBellDesign.jpg

Whitechapel: http://handbellworld.com/images/bellparts/WBellDesign.jpg

Jörn
http://www.handglocken.de/
http://www.handbells.eu/

[Susan T. Nelson]

Yes, thanks, I just found them!  Wish they had the one with all 3, side by side, like the poster.

Sue