Skip to main content

5 - Practice Nights v Performance Ringing

Practice nights are when the tower band meet to practice and develop their bellringing skills.  There are new ringers, experienced ringers, teachers, improvers, members perfecting methods, and people who enjoy making music with church bells.  In this collection, you'll discover more about practice nights, useful tips, understand what people are doing, what you should be doing, the differences between practice and performance ringing, and see a band ringing in peal.  Read more ... and scroll down for extra resources.
Return to Homepage or Contents Page

From Beginner to Bellringer: Some Useful Tips

Practice Nights Practice Nights in Ireland 
Take a look at this table to find out more ... 

Come to Practice Nights - What Should I Be Doing?
  • Come along ready to practice what you have learned or want to improve on
  • Come having read up on the method and the blue line
  • If you have questions for your instructor be ready to ask them or to find out more
  • Come ready to improve upon your striking, bell handling, control, listening to your bell, and to learn something extra
After Practice - What Do I Need To Do?
  • Reflect on how your ringing went - what went well and what would you like to improve or learn about for next time?  What did you learn?
  • Read up on the method you are ringing and learn the blue line (by places)
  • Make notes that you can follow and understand
  • You might want to practice at home before the next practice e.g. Abel
  • Set yourself some goals e.g. ringing rounds for Midnight Mass at Christmas, ringing a new method, ringing a method from another inside bell, going to a district practice, etc.
  • Study information about bell handling, striking, plain hunt, call changes, and the like.
Practice At Home To If You Like! (ABEL)


And while you're practicing, reconcile yourselves to the fact that progress will be slow.  You're all new, you're all inexperienced, and you're all struggling together; and if that makes it harder it makes it more fun too. (Coleman, 2016:384)

Performance Ringing The Difference

Bellringers ring for performance on different occasions such as Sunday Service and Sunday Mass, Christmas, New Year, Ascension, Funerals, Weddings, Special Occasions, Celebrations, Remembrance, and so on.    Ringing at these times aims to be perfect, practice is over and ringers perform playing 'music' to the community.  This is ringing at its best whether it is rounds, call changes, plain hunt, or another method.  Rounds, Call Changes, or Plain Hunt on five rung well sounds brilliant inside and outside of the tower.  Great striking and teamwork make a real difference to the way the bells sound, to the music that is created.

Performance Ringing - Ringing Up and Down in Peal with Call Changes Included (16 mins)



Return to Homepage or Contents Page