I'm not christian so I'm really amused. This sounds lovely! ALMOST like the bells that rang on the day of the Royal Wedding. Do you all follow a beat or do you ring it as soon as the rope goes up? It doesnt sound to coordinated but I still love it. How long do you carry on doing this (don't your arms ache?). Also why do you do this? Is it personal satisfaction or is it a job? :)
@thangacchi On the day of the Royal Wedding bells were ringing everywhere, but I will assume you mean Westminster Abbey. They do sound similar, not noticed that before. We follow patterns called "methods" so are all in a controlled order. Most ringing is about five minutes long, but varies. The longest time rung commonly is around three hours, on very rare occasion ten hours! At the end, arms ache, legs are sore from standing, and blisters sometimes cover hands and fingers. But worth it.
It's a hobby, not a job. The only time we get paid is for weddings, and that isn't a huge amount (between £10 and £20 usually). Ringing can sound beautiful, but the other extreme does occur (look at my Waddesdon video, they sound awful!) but thankfully most sets of bells are nice. It's a very social hobby, with frequent trips to the pub afterwards! If you're interested in learning more than I can explain here, chat with someone at your local church.
I'm not christian so I'm really amused. This sounds lovely! ALMOST like the bells that rang on the day of the Royal Wedding. Do you all follow a beat or do you ring it as soon as the rope goes up? It doesnt sound to coordinated but I still love it. How long do you carry on doing this (don't your arms ache?). Also why do you do this? Is it personal satisfaction or is it a job? :)
thangacchi 9 months ago
@thangacchi On the day of the Royal Wedding bells were ringing everywhere, but I will assume you mean Westminster Abbey. They do sound similar, not noticed that before. We follow patterns called "methods" so are all in a controlled order. Most ringing is about five minutes long, but varies. The longest time rung commonly is around three hours, on very rare occasion ten hours! At the end, arms ache, legs are sore from standing, and blisters sometimes cover hands and fingers. But worth it.
8spliced 9 months ago
@thangacchi To continue...
It's a hobby, not a job. The only time we get paid is for weddings, and that isn't a huge amount (between £10 and £20 usually). Ringing can sound beautiful, but the other extreme does occur (look at my Waddesdon video, they sound awful!) but thankfully most sets of bells are nice. It's a very social hobby, with frequent trips to the pub afterwards! If you're interested in learning more than I can explain here, chat with someone at your local church.
8spliced 9 months ago