Westminster Abbey Bell Ringers

[Nezhh]

Well that's my record time. Catch you guys later.

[Nezhh]

Look at the description. Those dirty chaps.

[Nezhh]

What's the hardest thing about watching this video?

My cock.

[Magiqul]

This does not help my erectile dysfunction.

[Nezhh]

That bloke there in the purple shirt, he really makes this video for me...the saucy bastard.

[Nezhh]

The sound of those bells gets me every time. Instant erection.

[Magiqul]

Euphoric on every level.

[Magiqul]

This made me cum harder then ever.

[Magiqul]

My cock is so hard right now.

[Nezhh]

That made my penis feel rather spectacular.

[Magiqul]

Truly amazing, my cock is now freestanding.

[Nezhh]

un-bell-ievable.

[ryansand123]

Queen Elizabeth 2 Coronation bells was best!

[Magiqul]

@ryansand123 Agreed that was just beautiful. My cock is just on end right now.

[persnickity123]

Outstanding!

[UrbanLegendLsZ]

wow, look at all of those bell ends!

[MrEhemaliger]

Is it as difficult as it looks?

[irkibby]

@MrEhemaliger To ring to this high standard, yes.

[zmurrey]

@irkibby bless these men for aquiring such a traditional talent

[UrbanLegendLsZ]

@MrEhemaliger Yes, a 5 year old can do this if he were able to reach it. Its easy as abc.

[SittinOnTheToiletFan]

Wow, you'd want to get payed heaps for doing that on the Royal Wedding - All that reminds me of is watching it... that sound. Memories forever.

[irkibby]

@SittinOnTheToiletFan Well no, you wouldn't. These people love doing this. The ringers on the Royal Wedding day actually got paid a small fee (I think about £20), and they also got a piece of the wedding cake.

[timothyj1966]

nothing sounds so English than the happy chimes of this sort of ringing.... great video... thanks for posting.... makes me think of Christmas!

[lunaticonthegrass111]

Good to see so many people looking into 'English full-circle change ringing' (the full title for this style of bellringing) after that wedding.

[Larsky1010]

The best part of the recent royal wedding!

[bogalusa5]

Remarkable! I love the sound!!

[giojeu]

so for the royal wedding bells were played by hand all the time?

[irkibby]

@giojeu Certainly. There were ten people in the tower, ringing exactly as you see here.

[LordAmsterdan]

I am surprised! I thought the bells were automathic! How do they get that?! Is it a techinique and a profession to be bellringer?!

[irkibby]

@LordAmsterdan Ringing bells in this fashion is a system which evolved more than 350 years ago in England. It's a certain technique which requires a lot of practice but unfortunately it is not a profession. Otherwise I'd be doing it!

[simonbellringer]

@LordAmsterdan No, ringing is a hobby, not a proffession!! And yes, it is a technique, which may take time to master... but then, it may not!! Some bells ARE automatic, but the vast majority of bells in England are rung this way.

[LenaLosAngeles1983]

I could not get the sound of the Abbey bells out of my head after the royal wedding. Beautiful and haunting sound indeed.

[kinnyblack]

Wow. Watching the wedding, I thought it was programmed. Impressive!

[shlynsayshi]

i love the bells ,especially during the royal wedding, made me cry

[FinalOptions]

When in Basel, we stay near an old church that sounds 2 times a day......we love it.

[barbara5706]

Do you get rope burns doing this without gloves? Great job. I love the sound. Do you have to count at all? How many hours do you practice?

[irkibby]

@barbara5706

feel a bellringers hands and they'll be covered in hard skin! It involves a lot of counting, concentration, rhythm and it varies for each ringer... it depends how seriously you want to take the hobby

[95tupolev]

I enjoyed hearing these bells today, ringing for the royal wedding. Did they score the peal of London royal?

[irkibby]

@95tupolev Peal of Spliced London and Bristol was duly scored

[Mamasan41]

For anybody who has not read The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers, you will love this book! At the library!

[grison7]

Isn't the sound that we hear at the beggining of High Hopes by Pink floyd?

[lunaticonthegrass111]

@grison7 Yes it is, although only 8 bells are being rung there. (Here there are 10 bells.) I don't think it's the same ring of bells as well, but the way in which the bells are being sounded is the same.

[onlymario21]

I want this at my wedding

[topshed34a]

Your right about Cinques, and I suppose it depends on how good a 12 bell ringer you are, and I am certainly not that good, I am happy though to drum the tenor and just get into almost a trance listening to the small bells dance between the back 5

I ring at St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney

[topshed34a]

A very nice sounding ring, I must admit I do love hearing and Ringing Stedman Caters. I think stedman is one of the loveliest sounding methods and I think that Caters is is the pefect balance, sounding better than Triples and better than Cinques.

[irkibby]

@topshed34a

I agree with you wholeheartedly... Caters has much more potential for music and better rollups than Triples, without being as stressful as Cinques. It is my favourite method.

[simonbellringer]

@topshed34a Love Stedman, but Caters sounds a bit "wrong" - maybe cause of the odd number of pairs? Though it DOES sound much better than DOubles!! If done well, Cinques sounds brilliant!!

[TheDavidgregoire]

J'adore se son plein d'espoir...

[ilgerry70]

siete i migliori al mondo ciao dal gerry

[Yodasstuff]

How do you learn how to ring the bells together with the right cadence and when to change cadence, etc? Is music written for this?

I'm in the US and don't get to hear the sound of real bells very often.

Beautiful! Keep up the tradition!

[irkibby]

@Yodasstuff There is no music written for it

All ten of these ringers are listening to the rhythm, and are evenly spacing out their bells. Notice that the call to start the method only comes at 1:08, this is when the conductor decides that the rhythm has been hit.

Also the "cadence" of a piece of ringing depends upon the weight of a set of bells and how they are hung. If you took these ten ringers to a tower which had a lighter ring of thells then the ringing would undoubtedly be faster.

[gareth306uk2000]

bell ringing is the antichrist

[NatashaHarper23]

beautiful sound :)

[VolkgartenBySquirrel]

I've just got to ring in *g* on this. What an amazing artform, first the bells themselves, then the accomplishment of welding variously dissonant players into a team of ringers, then to create a piece which may be hundreds of years old and played every evening, or something that won't be heard again in your lifetime. How many possible orders with 8, 12, 16 bells? Listen to a performance, and see if you can recognize the ancestors of digital language.

[irkibby]

@VolkgartenBySquirrel

Ringers, not players. And yes, there are methods (pieces) that can be heard thousands of times all acros the country in a week, and there are rarer methods, mostly on 8,10, and 12 bells, which arent heard very often. On 8 bells the "extent" is 40,320 changes, and this has been rung non stop using a single band of 8 ringers. It took 17 hours and 58 minutes.

[VolkgartenBySquirrel]

@irkibby OMG-18 hours? Marathon! And a very dedicated team of ringers! Some listeners were very lucky to have heard the whole performance. Now I will have to go out and find some recordings - Thank You!

[kernowoggie]

Love to ring Stedman here myself, with Mr Pladys conducting, of course. No-one beats him at conducting it.

[duncanmoss2]

be nice if a few more visiting ringers were allowed to ring them......unless things are different now?

[Craspic]

I can't watch this without remembering a scene in "The Vicar of Dibley" in which they were composing an announcement for the church newsletter that said something like "Come to bell practice and we'll show you the ropes!"

[irkibby]

@Craspic I remember that bit. And strangely, Jim is in fact very similar to most bellringers....

[westminstercouncil]

Beautiful sound

[oa9989]

So these are the old men hiding out in the bunker.

[paulthewall02]

This reminds me of Princess Diana's funeral and the tolling of the bells

[SubaruB4RSK]

@paulthewall02

yeah this video here.. youtube no longer allows us to paste links so seach "Princess Diana's Funeral Part 21: The Bells and The Applause"

What I get confused is the changeover.. If a person is doing Method ringing do they just have to worry about their own bell but keep the spacing while playing?

[irkibby]

That is correct. You have leave wider or smaller gaps between the blows of your bell, to correspond with the blows of all the other bells.

[am620]

I have rung here, its not very easy to get a chance as they rarely allow visiting ringers.

Nice bit of Stedman caters.

[LauraBellringer]

i really, really want to ring here oneday, don't think i will get the chance to though!

[bsmithofjy]

Ah you will dont worry ;)

[hunga224]

@bagpiper2005  watch?v=E8oqs_MxnJE

[irkibby]

WHAT

A

LIBERTY!!

brilliant.

[kernowoggie]

Would love to ring here but I bet you have to be invited or something. When do they practice?

[irkibby]

*sigh*

sad little man.

[beanz443]

I'm fucking sad??? Posting videos of a bunch of bible bashing wankers pulling ropes is fucking sad. Call that bastard sad

[benc5040]

Lol - people like you are a waste of oxygen. Go and play on the motorway.

[BNCA70]

I can't get past plain hunt and grandsire and bob doubles on rope sight, other than that I'm useless, total mental block. Drives me crazy.

[tom1984uk]

Irish moron

[kirwanqueren]

Incredible, beautiful, breath taking I would never move if I lived near this. Its the best sound in the world, the sound of pealing bells. I am not Christian, but I live near a Cathedral, and every time the bells peal they just make me happy to live there.

[hunga224]

What about us atheists? Why should we 'ave to listen to that sectarian turmoil?

[irkibby]

"sectarian turmoil"? Please explain?

[hunga224]

google --- monty python bells---and all will be revealed.

[irkibby]

ah!

[SilverWolfMoon]

Well, us Pagans can appreciate the beauty of this form of worship, regardless of what god(s) are involved...

[irkibby]

That's the way to do it!

[1BODGER95]

I advise you read a book entitled "Tntinalogia" which was written by one of the first change ringers, Richard Duckworth. It was written in the art's very early stages, not in the 1970s, but in the 1700s!

It goes into how it was developed, the expanded use from handbells to swinging bells, and how change ringing bells came to exist. No mention of any sort regarding catholic monks.

[irkibby]

It wasn't at you.If it's inconvenient i can call you a tit if you really like?

[irkibby]

An apology will not be given, being as it wasn't directed at you.

[irkibby]

no one called you a tit love. it was a response to another comment :)

[1BODGER95]

Not at all! No one is rubbish, as ringing is an exercise in which all you can do is excel once bell handling is mastered.

[1BODGER95]

I can name at least three change ringers who are very good, experienced and knowledgeable ringers, and one of which is a bell founder.

I strongly advise that you take head from the facts being given to you, foul language or not!

As me and Irkibby are talking perfect and true sense, I do believe it is you sir who must hush!

[1BODGER95]

Well, Mr.asaenz1836 wouldn't know a bleed'n bell if it struck him over the head, never mind call changes. That's how accurate his sources are!

[irkibby]

practice makes perfect.

[irkibby]

tit.

[irkibby]

the first change ringers were not monks. you claimed they were and argued when we said they werent.

You clearly know fuck all about this. Take your history books and shove them. You might know a lot of facts but that doest make you right, at all.

[anonmonen]

Dear Mr asaenz1836, you Sir, are an idiot!

[anonmonen]

Change ringing as we know it today emerged in England in the 17th century. To that era we can trace the origins of the earliest ringing societies, such as the Lincoln Cathedral Guild, which claims to date to 1612[4] or the Antient Society of Ringers of St Stephen in Bristol which was founded in 1620 and lasted as a ringing society until the late 19th century.

No Mention of Monks there then!!

[1BODGER95]

I will leave you with this. Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first English bell ringers. Was he a Monk?

[irkibby]

you originally said that changeringing came about because of monks.

It did not. Fact.

[irkibby]

lol.

[1BODGER95]

I don't think he does either. Lol.

[1BODGER95]

You are the fool when you are denying that the reformation ever occured!

Out of interest, what are your sources for your comment on benedictene monks and change ringing?

[irkibby]

let the div have his rant. It's amusing, I don't think he even knows what he is arguing about any more.

[irkibby]

Change ringing gradually evolved after the reformation. Therefore, whatever the heck is change ringing going to have to do with monks?

[louisisyourgod]

shut up

[irkibby]

you are talking complete nonsense. This is English Full Circle Changeringing, which is identical to any other tower with change ringing bells in England, and even the world (Although at Westminster Abbey, and other high profile towers the ringing is kept at a very high quality). This paticular set of bells were cast in 1971. The method they are ringing is Stedman Caters, which can be, and is, rung on any set of bells numbering 10 or more.

[irkibby]

in what way?

[1BODGER95]

No Ladies???

[Whittingtons]

Did anyone hear the quarter here on Jan 1st? What was it like?

[pker816]

These are better thn our 10 cos our band just peeps over 100 lol

[PiNInFarina18]

He says 'a fraction closer please' at 0:40 :)

[promiseIsaih60]

Impressive!! I wish to God we had that here!

[OoYesIKnowOoYesIKnow]

Westminster Abbey Cardio-vascular work-out room

[amfalk]

Thanks, I couldn't hear clearly what was said. I am starting to figure out what is going on, but I certainly can't tell from listening. At this point I'm pretty pleased with myself for knowing what caters means.

[amfalk]

So it is either Grandshire or Stedman Caters with a cover? No wonder beginners have a hard time figuring out what's going on. I'll stick to figuring out Plain Hunt. Our band can't play either of those methods anyway, and we are nowhere near as smooth even on rounds.

[JDK0316191]

i want to maybe do this someday.

I read the notes that the bells are tuned to on wikipedia.

[amfalk]

That is great ringing. It would be really helpful to beginners if you could say what method they are ringing. I can't hear the call, and I don't know enough to recognize anything. I'd like to have videos of methods that I can refer to to help learn.

[Widor5]

I think its Grandsire

[irkibby]

Evening

they are ringing a touch of Stedman Caters, Caters being on 9 bells with the tenor covering.

[irkibby]

All ringing should be this good.

[kernowoggie]

I don't snivell and if you do, take a lem sip!

[kernowoggie]

I don't mind a bit of an argument, enlivens the spirit!

[kernowoggie]

I do know my "stuff"!

[Whittingtons]

Glemsford! My Mum lived there when she was a kid. Keep up the ringing. My Grandparents live in Bury St. Edmunds. Nice bells at the cathedral there.

[louisisyourgod]

Yes, lovely bells at the cathedral (Norman Tower) in Bury. I've rung a couple of good peals there.

[1BODGER95]

doves says there are 4 unused bells, plus a sanctus. can anyone enlighten me????

[englandmarshman]

I cannot tell you all what a joy it is for me when I am in London for major royal events and I hear these bells. Simply Beautiful!

[pal05pmajor3]

lol theres a familiar sound lol i bet there nice to ring

[1BODGER95]

WHITECHAPEL He he he

[irkibby]

I certainly am.

[Knappa22]

I think this ringing is superb - I wish we could do our rounds this smoothly lol! I always get put on a very troublesome bell and clash with everyone. Ah well!

[Knappa22]

This kind of personal abuse is very saddening to read.

[kernowoggie]

to be precise Steadman is a "principle" and not a method.

[louisisyourgod]

OWNED

[irkibby]

to be precise you spelt Stedman wrong.

[SrWilson]

These bells must be fairly easy to handle since the rope daft is not long since the bells are only on the floor above behind the clock dials they are that low down in the tower.

[ProfMoose]

They are easy going with no surprises but they are also very unforgiving and the Abbey requires a very high standard of striking. All makes for a rather tense experience.

It's also a very long climb - continuous 120 steps, no breaks ;-)

[TrainmasterCurt]

Good to see churches that still use bells like this!

[belvedere261]

if fabian stedman could here this he would be well pleased to hear his priciple being rung so well

[jsncrso]

Half muffled peal sounds better

[clapperend]

I love Stedman, my fav method!!!!!

[ebethgrace]

See more about london on my blog: londonandelsewhere dot blogspot dot com

[concorde216]

what dioscean is the Abbey part of? Or is it even in the Aincent Society of College Youths?

Regards

Gareth

[edders05]

The Abbey is not in a diocese, it is a Royal Peculiar, and as such under the sole authority of the Sovereign.

[waltzplayer]

It sounds so nice!

[SrWilson]

Most of the ones I know of are anyway.

I suspect these guys are from the college youths?

[namm256]

Must be an ASCY band - although not a member myself, I recognise about half the band and I know those are ASCY members.

[SrWilson]

Nice ringing there.

Im not generally keen on london ringers generally though they are all arrogant.

[Dzhendobri]

probably so; typical of groups.

It is a requirement of the group that members protect the group boundary.

Mind you, there are probably more people who are not part of that particular group, than people who are in it; they within, miss out on not being part of the external-to-group group !

Cheers.

from,

del-boy.

[louisisyourgod]

fantastic

[clapperend]

very nice, im not that keen on 10 bell ringing but that was nice

[mjgriff74]

Although it's only a ring of 10, they seem so well rung, it sounds like more!