Bell Ringing: It's Harder Than It Looks

Watch Ant Smith learn to bell ring at churches in Yorkshire. Can he do it? Will he be good enough to ring at Bradford Cathedral?
Presented by Ant Smith
Produced and Directed by Adam Bacon
© Adam Bacon 2011

[@ant4buffy]

Thanks for all the comments. Sad to say I’m no longer ringing but the time I spent on this was very enjoyable!

[@ant4buffy]

andrew bellringer I don’t know if you can tell from the video BUT... I wasn’t very good at it! Hehe. But also it wasn’t for me.

[@andrewbellringer6147]

Ant Smith i completed 5 levels in under 3 years i also got highly commended award runner up

[@kyletheringer]

@@ant4buffy don't think like that id say you did very well mate

[@kgroveringer03]

@@ant4buffyfor just 4 weeks of training, you did brilliantly! you seemed to pick things up pretty alright, and the odd mistake here and there is merely down to being new to ringing. sad to hear you're not ringing anymore, but i understand if you felt it wasn't right for you. props to you nonetheless :)

[@bellringer22]

@@ant4buffy you got the technique quite quick i have been ringing for a year now and i rung every single bell at my old tower apart from the tenor at my new tower i ring the tenor of 8 bells it took me ages to get my following as good as it is now

[@coastermad13]

I am 21 now and I have been ringing since I was 6, and there is always something to learn. Heaviest bell I've rung was in Edinburgh at 41cwt (2 tonnes) and I can say that different bells can behave totally differently. Some are really easy to control, others are soooo challenging to even make the rope come down in front of you, some sound awesome and others sound like pots and go clink

[@kgroveringer03]

Definitely find the difference in sound to be rlly fun. The bells at my local church are an absolute blessing both to ring and to listen to, while some others *ahem* (Chelmsford cathedral) *ahem* do sound like a buncha buckets 😂 But that's the fun of ringing! You get a fresh, fun experience wherever you go :)

[@coastermad13]

@@kgroveringer03 Now I'm 31 and I've given up ringing and religion in general. Turns out there are a lot of bad people in the church and the local Diocese are judgemental and awkward and ironically not very Christian like. I ask too many questions nowadays and need evidence.

[@kgroveringer03]

I must have watched this 50 odd times now, one of the best short documentaries on ringing on KZbin! I especially appreciated how candid Ant was about any apprehensions or frustrations he felt; ringing is definitely one of those activities that requires a lot of practice to get to a point of stable-enough bell control, and even after decades of ringing the best ringers will still muck uo here and there 😂 I've been learning to ring for about 8 months now, and am about to move on to call changes for the first time, so I'm super excited (also nervous lol) to get started on that!

[@paulbutler6373]

Very well presented, I am now 58 and all my ancestors were bell ringers, my father was tower captain for 50 years at Shareshill church, this lady really knows her ringing and a very good tutor, really enjoyed this Programme.

[@ringerowen4039]

Deborah came to my church in redditch yesterday in ipsley I recognised her the secon she came in She helped me with ringing and thanks to her my ringing is much better

[@cornwall_trainspotter4346]

Ringer Owen that’s good to hear good ringers and bad ringers are the same I am a ringer and I have been ringing for about 4 months and I’m good so practise makes perfect lol

[@andrewbellringer6147]

I burn Toast ive been at it for 3 years

[@AlexanderWright1]

Handling the bell is the easy bit! Ringing in time with others, gaining "rope sight", and then learning methods are the tricky bits.

[@Ivanhoe2]

All credit to this lady. The instruction is good. Having learned later in life,,,I am in a position to appreciate the skill she has in teaching. One has to realise that there are still many ringers about who learned as youngsters. They are very fortunate. Best wishes.

[@WeKnitYouCanToo]

Brilliant video. My husband and I have just started bell ringing and this has been the most informative video I've found so far. I'll be coming back to view again!

[@benkeating4836]

Remember watching this religiously when learning to ring, this was 4 years ago, now ringing on 10 and 12 some practice nights, been a short but interesting journey.

[@smileclarenet]

I've been ringing for just over two and a half years. I was hooked after the first night. I remember learning all these things. I rang at Lincoln Cathedral after six weeks, and couldn't keep my bell in the right place! It took me ages to get the control, and even now I have moments when I lose it, but with five quarters and a peal to my name, I'm not doing too badly.

[@lornacaddy8531]

I do, actually. Anywhere between Nottingham, Lincoln and Grantham.

[@TheTraveller20081]

Your first peal so soon after starting, sounds like you've got the bug seriously! Another seven years later, what's your total up to?

[@rebeccashelton9512]

I am teaching The NINE TAILORS by Dorothy Sayers and this video is so well done, it will help today's young students understand an old and beautiful art.

[@Bellringercameron]

This brings back memories of when I first learnt to ring

[@brumdingers7973]

I ring in Birmingham and I have been doing it for years. It is the most amazing thing.

[@duke3296]

This is great... I have the same almost feelings when starting joint the group... Mix emotion of gladness to nervous...

[@Ringer_Fran]

I ring at a tower near Leeds in Yorkshire in a town called Chapel Allerton. These are a nice and easy 6.

[@JMRSsize]

Excellent video demonstration.

[@Jeep192]

Realy good to watch. Well done Ant - I expected to see ropes flying everywhere but but you have good control!

[@watchguy79]

This is really cool! Great job mate !

[@timothy.p6128]

the tower i ring at there are two gentlemen who are close to celebrating 70 years ringing, 70 years. i have only just done 10 years (on and off) started when i was 8

[@coastermad13]

I started ringing backstrokes at 6 at Long Eaton so beat that :P

[@timothy.p6128]

Simon Westman well i cant beat that. how did you stay on the ground

[@chloebleach7376]

Started when I was 10 too now 18 and about to ring for the first time in 3 years

[@irenec4876]

Simon Westman I first rang both strokes together on my third lesson when I was only 9. With help obviously form the teacher

[@KaitharVideo]

I'm kinda curious if Ant is still ringing actually. Did pretty well to get that far that quickly. Just in case he, or anyone else, is curious from the way the bell was behaving at the end, I'd say he lost control due to not pulling fully. The combination of the bell ringing short of balance and the rope flick the lack of follow through adds would cause that kind of miss. Longer lesson: Basically when a rope starts to snake around it can come down worse each hand stroke until you correct what you're doing wrong, partly because catching the snaking rope and pulling it amplifies any bad habits or techniques. The reason you're supposed to pull down all the way at back, rather than stopping short, is that you're kind of "throwing" the rope at the floor which makes the rest of the hand stroke straight, it's about keeping the rope tight and straight. If you stop short the momentum can make the rope snake to the side or whip around you, if you pull at an angle the rope will flick in that direction. One way I've seen it taught is to have change in your front trouser pocket, if you're doing the back stroke pull right you'll knock the change enough to make a noise. One of the mistakes of learners is to pull in a curve away from their body which makes the rope flick out at hand stroke ... more than a couple of inches forward and you're liable to miss the salle, and you can easily throw the rope a foot or two in front of you with a curved pull. To the side is even worse, you're liable to end up with your rope in front of the ringer next to you. The difficulty keeping it in place on the second set of rounds was a combination of it not getting to balance (so you can't hold up for the larger bell count, as he explained earlier in the video) and of getting frustrated with the bell. That's another common mistake with learners and harder to teach a fix for. When the bell keeps going too early they'll get frustrated and that makes things worse. Some times they'll pull harder at the other stroke, over compensating and having to fight the bell more. Other times they'll be tensing up and over check a stroke that would have gone to balance. The worst times they'll over compensate and/or under check and end up bumping the stay (against the stop... normally you ring in a way that kisses the slider lightly, if you let the bell go past balance, particularly at hand stroke, the stay pushes the slider all the way to the stop and bounces back at you) instead. The key to good ringing is to be reasonably relaxed, if you're too tense, frustrated or annoyed with the bell you just end up pulling too hard or at the wrong time and it all goes wrong. Imagine trying to do a task that needs steady hand eye co-ordination, like one of those buzzer wires or a jenga tower. It's a totally different skill set, but it requires a similar kind of relaxed concentration in your movements and also goes horribly wrong when you get frustrated. Been a few years since I had to stop ringing (and thus involvement in the teaching side as well) but I think I remembered all that right heh. If I've made any glaring errors, feel free to point them out to me, I enjoy talking about the hobby :p

[@mikec4472]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@kgroveringer03]

sadly ant's no longer ringing, but he did very well indeed

[@alistairsv]

Very well done Ant

[@millefolia]

Thanks, I enjoyed the video! I'm rereading Dorothy Sayers' The Nine Tailors and this video made the bell ringing parts of the book make sense to me.

[@andrewbellringer6147]

millefolia i have that book

[@stefferknee1]

Having just started the beginning of this is exactly how I feel!!

[@sarahcole1029]

Just learning myself and it is as you say a lot harder than it looks. Hope your going to continue ringing bells.

[@jondoes8222]

That really was a good video and you sir, have a wonderful personality.

[@tillydog]

Thanks! Ant did really well!

[@simonbellringer]

That was really well done, ringing isnt easy and especially in that short space of time. Hope you keep it up too Ant :)

[@stephaniebrown2624]

Really impressive progress ringing myself for many years , I am thinking you are talented and so positive

[@SharlenesJourney]

Soo cool :D im by a church right now and herd the bells and I always wondered how it worked lol

[@gouryella101]

Great video. Well done

[@delissaneedham5008]

Excellent well made film.

[@adamm2693]

very good indeed!! its also nice that the tower found a way to keep its Doncaster canons without cutting them off !

[@Nautical_Parsnip]

I want to ring but I live in the United States with no local bell ringers

[@ringeradam4575]

There are change-ringing bells in the United States as well, however they're definitely a lot more spaced out than in England! The main towers are in: Salem, MA Boston, MA New York City Washington DC Philadelphia Alexandria, VA Charleston, SC and a list of all change-ringing towers in the United States can be found on this page: www.nagcr.org/afftower.html

[@kayleighogley6193]

I live in this country

[@kerryharwood]

That was brilliant! I'm so impressed with how the film was made and it would be a great thing to show beginners. It really sums up all my frustrations when I first started. I tried to make my own video on bellringing (see my profile), but it doesn't look half as professional as yours. Great stuff, well done.

[@samuelwardell1233]

It has taken me less than a month to learn bell ringing and now I ring the 4 at Glastonbury Somerset

[@Drobium77]

I'm just learning now, i've had four 1/2 hour lesson over 5 weeks and am just getting the basics of bell control, although the bells aren't mute. I think i'll need a round another 3-4 lessons before going to the next stage of ringing in rounds, i'm seriously enjoying it though, it's not supposed to be this much fun! :-D

[@britainluver431]

I have always wanted to give a go at change bell ringing. Although there aren't as many towers in America as I have hoped for, but anywhere I can find is good.

[@allecovv1113]

Comgratulations to the young boy! It hasn't been easy at all...

[@TheDroghedaBellRinger]

Great vlog

[@andrejpecenko9151]

Nice work practice. LJ, Slovenia, Europe

[@70stvtool]

I’ve always wanted to learn.

[@adrianjohnson7920]

Harder than it looks? -- and I looks HARD. . .

[@plummerbe]

Brilliant video, and very professionally edited. Lets hope it persuades some younger people to take up this hobby.

[@kgroveringer03]

I'm 19, been learning since May 2022! It's such a fun experience, and getting better every time is a super fulfilling feeling. That plus the social aspect as well is a huge motivator for getting me coming along to these sessions.

[@campanerosdelaltoojaezcara6761]

great !!!

[@Dan-bc9nx]

Don’t worry, i’m a bellringer newbie... i just did some practice rings at Worcester Cathedral

[@pretorium]

Very well done really and Deborah Thorley is a good teacher.... some pick it up like a magnet with co-ordination / listening to instruction and the bells themselves. Others don't and it takes a lot of patience. Some people drop out early on before they really get the hang of it and start to enjoy it, but as a group exercise its a great thing, together with the sound that is made. I've taught 8 bands from scratch and it gives great pleasure when ringers you have taught progress.

[@fredmills368]

It took me about 2 months

[@britainluver431]

Hey you're doing just fine in the tower. I wish you good luck with ringing at other towers.

[@jessbagnall1814]

it look me like a year to learn lol, (still learning now obviously) i started when i was 11, and yh it's definitely harder then it looks 😂😂 gd video

[@TheConsettonian1987]

I was going to ring at Silsden on a ringing trip and we got locked out and never got the chance to ring them, very disappointing it was!

[@renehernandez4908]

I usted yo ring the bells in the presbiterian church and one of them was super heavy

[@poly_hexamethyl]

0:13 The reason you're having such a hard time is that you forgot to spit on your hands before grasping the sally! :-)

[@fredmills368]

🤮

[@kgroveringer03]

Ewwwwwwwww, noooooooo why would you do thattttt 😭😭😭😭 just use chalk if you want better gripppppp

[@samuelwardell1233]

I am learning to ring at Glastonbury St. John's

[@scrapbookshopplanner6084]

I have been bell ringing for two months but only very brief rope time and still don’t understand the technique of the backstroke and I keep losing the momentum of the bell. Very disheartening

[@BellCamPrank]

its hard and takes some getting used to but its worth it

[@nord1486]

You should perhaps mention that a full peal takes about 3 hours to ring and if you ring for that length of time you are likely to get blisters :-)

[@jodyhaberfield5308]

i live in aus now but i learned to ring when i was 8 in the uk

[@ambereames8733]

I do bell ringing with tabitha. I am 12 years old and ring twice a week at madley and kingstone.

[@simonbellringer]

@brookwall Lol, I think I clicked reply rather than post by mistake!! Ooopss!!

[@rfm231]

How is it that you’re pulling the rope and the bell is not ringing? How do you silence the bells?

[@bagelbreather]

DUDE, I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR ACTUAL RINGING. I MEAN THE BIG EVENT I JUST WATCHED YOU TRAIN FOR. THANKS FOR SHARING, IT WAS GOOD, BUT THE ENDING OF THIS VIDEO IS VERY ANTICLIMACTIC!!!!!!!

[@joshuastonefish]

im learning

[@bekihodgson4]

I went for my first lesson tonight and I've stupidly given myself a rope burn, I forgot to let go.

[@kgroveringer03]

Hope you're getting on OK! Lmk hos things are going!

[@erictrumpler9652]

Have you continued with ringing?

[@thetrollingpanda2]

i wish i could do that

[@callumpholloway]

It isn't harder than it looks its just a great hobbie

[@joshuastonefish]

i am learning to ring

[@janewatson6257]

There are 6 bells at Silsden

[@TheArchitectOfDreams]

1300 Hours?! *falls over*

[@campanaro_99]

Imagine he broke the stay

[@markpimentel1211]

I rang the bell of lebret 2 times

[@bfdiofficialpen3839]

Yeah all that bell weight

[@broomie001]

Did you do it

[@Nautical_Parsnip]

It must be easy if a ten year old can do it

[@lewisbenfield9418]

do you still ring ?

[@TheDiamonCat]

I ring

[@volgalas6070]

Всего-то один колокол в одни руки...

[@kernow9324]

Ant, I really enjoyed your video, but you're way too hard on yourself.

[@janewatson6257]

Why don't you try to ring at ilkley all saints church with 8 bells

[@tabithaemmett256]

i do bellring and im 13 year old my longes time is 2hours 30minit becaues other people from other churches came put ae normal does it 1hrs and 30 minit

[@tillydog]

How many bells at Bradford?

[@fredmills368]

12

[@codedlAnguage]

🤓. 💝. 🎸. 🤓

[@WilsonTomines]

3:54 I think the bell won't ring.

[@andrewbellringer6147]

tea tev its because the clapper is tied back

[@lewisbenfield9418]

Do you still ring?

[@fredmills368]

Be nice if he was!

[@kgroveringer03]

@@fredmills368Sadly not 😢

[@achille-claudedebussy7122]

are you breirtish

[@fredmills368]

Daisyre Vidal he is

[@bsturdy77]

Great video, blokes a massive nerd who presents it though. Nevertheless, it's alright

[@kgroveringer03]

Nahhh, what's wrong with being a nerd? lol

[@vickybak1924]

Look good on my own wall and then we will all the best to the best and the best in our life and

[@kgroveringer03]

Thank you, Vicky, truly a master of words

[@connorelder5798]

So negative tho

[@bfdiofficialpen3839]

I'll just hang on it it will be easy if I go to new york

[@kinghugothe1st746]

I know how to bell ring and I'm 10

[@fredmills368]

Kinghugo The1st well done u

[@louisebinnie9474]

Same

[@deeremeyer1753]

Hard to imagine those hand pads would be that clean with so many hundreds of hands pulling on them thousands of times. Of course 99% of that great tradition of bell-ringing isn't done by hand and they're definitely not "regular" bells heard in the background of these videos or pealing in the distance during British travel propaganda/documentaries. Standard bells just don't ring like that folks. And damn sure not when the clapper is laying against the shell as they're flipped damn near vertically during "change ringing". Bells only have a very narrow range of travel on their "upstroke" between being struck or rather the bell striking the hammer and then catching it and carrying it, which kills the sound immediately. TUBULAR bells with gong strikers are what's being rung in those churches. I don't care what these videos show while implying its just a regular bell being "artistically" operated that's making those clean, clear and long notes. Like I said, they don't ring when the clapper is laying on the shell.

[@RohrDC]

what

[@RobDavisTelford]

What tosh, you don't know what you are talking about.

[@fredmills368]

Rob Davis exactly there's no such thing as upstroke

[@Happyheart146]

The Salle (the padded bit on the rope that you pull on for the hand stroke) is usually made from wool and wool is self cleaning. The other stroke is called backstroke and there are no hammers involved, only clappers. I've been ringing for 2 months now.

[@kgroveringer03]

Firstly, those "hand pads" are called salles, and they're washed with the rope every so often. The entirety of bellringing is done by hand, each bell being entirely operated by humans. The ringing sounds in TV, film and videos is done entirely on regular bells that you'll find in your local church or cathedral. There's 2 types of stroke, the handstroke and backstroke; there's no such thing as an "upstroke", as you call it. When any church or hand bell is rung, the clapper rests against the inside of the bell, which creates the ringing sound you hear. Because the bell is moving, the clapper doesn't rest on the inside for long, so it doesn't sound muted as a result. There is absolutely no way that a tubular bell could possibly be used in change ringing, because they aren't loud enough, nor does the sound contain the partials that church bells do, meaning they cannot produce the same sound whatsoever. Secondly, full-circle bellringing, as seen in this video, has been around since the early 1600s, while tubular bells were invented and used for the first time in 1886. Furthermore, tubular bells and church bells are both rung by hand, which completely disproves what you said about them "not being rung by hand". And, having been up into a church belfry many times over the last few months, having been right up close to the bells, putting on/removing ties and even seeing and hearing the bell being rung 5 foot from me, I can confirm there are no tubular bells up there. Just your typical church bells mounted on wheels. It's clear from what you've said that you know absolutely nothing about bellringing, or bells, for that matter. You're trying so, so hard to create a conspiracy theory about bellringing and spread rampant misinformation about the tradition. Please, do more in future to actually learn about the subject than just blindly conjecturing about it.

[@jamesparkin1110]

I ring at St. George's jesmond. It's a fantastic set of bells