Liverpool Bells - Birmingham Band

The bells of Liverpool Parish Church (Pier Head) being rung by the Birmingham 12-Bell Band when practising for the National 12-Bell Striking Contest held at Leeds Parish Church on 25th June 2011. The method for the competition was Pudsey Surprise Maximus, spliced here with Little Bob Maximus as a 'warm-up' routine on the bells.
For information on bellringing, see www.cccbr.org.uk, www.ringing.info and, for American viewers, nagcr.org.

[@m.d.5622]

Eine großartige Leistung! Bewundernswert, wie die Mitwirkenden durch die unterschiedlichen Kombinationen diese Melodien entwickeln! Und diese schweren Glocken zu bewegen ist sicher nicht einfach. Es wird viel Übung und Kraft gekostet haben, um dieses fantastische Ergebnis zu erreichen!

[@clarrieg]

This was the Birmingham first warm up - a routine to quicky get used to the bells.

[@Steven_Rowe]

I just keep listening to this. This is ICONIC. This is the epitome of great ringing and a joy to listen too.

[@spuds4t]

I totally agree - I watch and(above all!) listen to this superb example of change ringing on 12bells. Just wish I had such skills

[@FranzFerdinandVIII]

They sound like Bow and the Beats* (the 12 bells) of St Mary le Bow *I came up with the name to spice it up a bit

[@Steven_Rowe]

@@FranzFerdinandVIII Now I think sound totally different. How are a Whitechapel bell and these are Taylors. My dad and Bill Theobald hung Bow in 1961 they were both bell hangers for Whitechapel. As much as I have a heart felt loyalty to Whitechapel the Whitechapel tenors don't cut the mustard like Taylor tenors? Even my dad had a saying. Taylors for Tenors and Whitechapel for trebles. I love them all

[@conorcrowley9319]

@@spuds4t jonnnjbbojbbbbbbiib best bboJjon jdkd

[@spuds4t]

@@conorcrowley9319 Just spotted your comment sorry I do not comprehend the significance!

[@daffyfromuk]

Liverpool’s best peal of bells by far!

[@titus4039]

Ah what a lovely sound. England is an amazing country and im proud my family came from there (mostly, some scots-irish, german and norwegian in me too). I definitely want to visit there again

[@duke3296]

God knows how I miss ringing the bells at St Andrew's cathedral and St Mary's cathedral both in Sydney... Plus bunch of friendly people who are all willing to help me, for me to learn fast.... Ringing is the best hobby in the world...

[@alvrasco]

Hi from Madrid ,I am a Spaniard and also had an unforgatable experience during my visit to St Andrew´s in Sydney in 2003. By coincidence I heard the bells one evening, I went into the Church to ask if they would allow me to see them.They were so kind that they allowed me to go up and watch they ringing.

[@spuds4t]

Absolutely superb! Just watch and listen to, that magnificent tenor being threaded through its plain and complex path up and through the test piece.

[@elton1981]

Some of the best striking I've ever heard.

[@WrongAndHome]

0:32 Wow! I didn't know Bruce Willis was a bell ringer!

[@jasonburnet9181]

Patrick Deakin Lol :P

[@be11ringer77]

Beautiful. Amazes me every time I watch it

[@happywanderer34]

How bells should be rung, these just sounded sooooo good

[@henryjohnfacey8213]

Thanks for posting. Wonderful. Greetings from St Oswald's and Bridlington priory. 😊

[@henrytaysom6616]

'kin brilliant, OMG I just wish I could ring Stedman Caters to this standard !!! Absolutefully TOP.

[@bellboy222]

This is so cleverly done. In real life, these bells sound nothing like as good as this in the ringing room. Clearly, the audio was recorded above the bells and linked accurately to the picture. I've always thought that these bells are one of the most impressive 12's from outside. If you could get them to sound as good as this in the ringing room, I think I'd move to Liverpool!

[@marchingtonparishcouncilme1784]

Fantastic ringing! Great upload, well done!

[@foveauxbear]

@EyesPi100 - thanks for posting this, such lovely ringing, such beautiful striking. I love the camera on the 'lazy susan', great idea!!

[@c-historia]

wonderful!!

[@hellovapainter]

I am a very, very poor ringer but I can still appreciate this. I love to listen to the front four bells skipping through the heavier ones: it's real music to my ears and I could listen to it for ages. There's something very dignified and moving about the ringers as they work together. Some of them look utterly absorbed in the task: it's sublime.

[@lindathrall5133]

I want to find a spot where I can hear the bells I would love to ring a bell

[@peterhumphreys8156]

dove.cccbr.org.uk This would be a good place to start. Tells you locations where bells are rung with contact details. You'll find the ringing community most welcoming. Good luck!

[@EyesPi100]

I'm flattered! You were nearly right, the Zoom audio recorder was placed in the clock chamber.

[@bellboy222]

Hard to believe that someone would create a KZbin account just to post a ridiculous nit picking comment like that! Maybe the audio is slightly out of synch with the picture, but it doesn't undermine my enjoyment of what is generally reckoned to be one of the best videos of 12 bell ringing on here. What say you, Dave?

[@bellboy222]

@irkibby, I do like that "stretch tuning" thing, don't you? These are truly fine from outside, one of the best, I reckon. Chester from outside are just like these but smaller. You say Tony Daw sleeps on the floor. Can't he afford a bed, or does he have a back problem?

[@campanaro1475]

I LOVE this bells😍😍😍

[@janewatson6257]

Very nice ring way better than Liverpool Cathedral too heavy LOL :D I love it. I wish you could give them money throughKZbin cause it's a beautiful ring!!!!

[@Steven_Rowe]

Jane Watson Jane your right about Liverpool cathedral they are way to heavy but the biggest downfall at the cathedral is not the bells but the tower . I would love to hear the bells but the belfry is way to big and made of concrete and stone so the sound bounces all over the place. i think kf they could build a false ceilimg over the height of the bell frame and extended it to the louvres plus add zome insulation to the concrete floor the gells would sound magic The problem​. is of course money

[@Steven_Rowe]

@Ivan Steel there is no way they would put them in a detached tower. The accoustics could be fixed. The belfry for a start up is stupidly oversize and there is 90% of the problem. Sound bounces all over the place. He has should put a ceiling above great George and all so put sound absorbing material on the floor. It's all concrete and it reflects the sound like light to a mirror. Also the ringing room is very gloomy to say the least. I think the bells would sound great if the accoustics could be resolved but who has the money????? The other thing is the bells are way to big, there comes a point when it's to much for one person I can't help thinking that when the bells were installed it was one upmanship as Exeter was 72 cwt and so Whitechapel thought. Take that Taylor's. Even 40 cwt takes some effort and I think site bordering on the upper limit of what is practical. To me the most wonderful peal of bells to listen to is York Minster, wonderful accoustics and an absolute classic Taylor pre war heavy peal. For some reason the prewar Taylor heavy tenors have this wonderful bellow or drone sounds. I have no idea whether it is simply subjective thinking or if the bell profile or metal composition had changed. Also Whitechapel tenors just don't cut it, they seem breathless compared to a similar weight Taylor bell. My old man was a bell hanger for Whitechapel from the late 40s to early 70s and he said Taylor's for Tenors and Whitechapel for trebles. If you look at a modern whitechapel 8 the bells are far more bright than Taylor's which have a warmer and mellow sound. Its not that one is better it's just different. But I agree with the old man about the Tenors, Taylor's along really know how to make heavy metal.

[@Steven_Rowe]

@Ivan Steel Big money to fix it though. Even from outside they don't sound good due to the accoustics.

[@Steven_Rowe]

@Ivan Steel I'm no expert.. But vibrate from what, movement of the bell or the sound the bell produces?

[@irkibby]

@bellboy222 I hardly notice stuff like stretch tuning... it has to be pointed out to me most of the time. It was Higby that listened to a video of my own bloody bells (Walsgrave) and commented that they were in fact stretch tuned, something i'd failed to notice completely.

[@Steven_Rowe]

I personally think this is the finest video clip of bells on youtube, not only because of the fantastic sounding bells and ringing that is so well struck, but the quality of the video is beautiful. I want more please, it is a JOY to listen to. Love the sound of that tenor.

[@charlotteox6]

love this video very very lovely sounding bells and amazing ringing!!!! :)

[@Chipanddale999]

Reminds me of my great aunts wedding and my grandparents wedding too

[@TheMickhowes]

Great ring, all the more surprising how good the striking is considering the weight of these bells, excellent.

[@coastermad13]

ohh they are dead easy to strike. they ring like a dream. i rang cambridge minor on the back 6 at Edinburgh cathedral. perfectly

[@StevenBlakemore1994]

Absolutely beautiful bells! Absolutely epic ringing! Anyone who disputes that is obviously tone deaf. :-) I wish I could ring like this. Great Job! :-)

[@laurenamy4480]

makes the ringing at mt church sound very poor! excellent ringing. one day I wish to ring with a team like this. everything sounded perfect and I couldn't even find one flaw. fantastic team, great bells.

[@lunaticonthegrass111]

These bells are totally brilliant!!! They'd also be in my top 5 12's if I had such a list. (I haven't been to enough good 12's yet!) I was lucky enough to be in a peal attempt here earlier in 2011. Sadly it was miscalled at about 2000 changes, but the band managed to produce 85 minutes of fabulous striking to a musical composition of S11 on these gorgeous bells, so was still worth the trip.

[@74starrider]

Nice - but why don't they smile during ringing?

[@Steven_Rowe]

The simple reason people don't smile is the amount of mental concentration involved. When your ring, you are in the zone, it is as if the world around you stops as you can only think of what your are doing. It is very stimulating mind exercise.

[@fredmills368]

I always have a concentrating face when im ringing

[@zeamoz]

yep, its the concentration and not wanting to mess up. Plenty of time to smile afterwards :)

[@FroggyFish40]

Beautiful striking

[@richardharrold9736]

Yep, absolutely flawless!

[@dominicjohnson1765]

When was the method called and how come it was rung in only 6 mins?

[@johnr6168]

These are one of the best 12 to listen to both inside and particularly outside where bells are meant to be heard. Every bell is clearly heard among the rest and also sounds as though it belongs to the rest.

[@lucasowen5040]

I’ve rung here. Fabulous bells.

[@HytheBoatman]

Excellent if not perfect ringing. The best 12 bell recording I have heard on KZbin and nicely filmed. What wonderful bells they are!

[@theboywhodroveaway7954]

My favourite bell ringers are in the UK!

[@allymccormack4708]

These are lovely bells & this is very nice ringing 😊

[@neilwarr5685]

Perfect

[@mikematthews5872]

Brilliant the. Timing andd striking is a joy to listen to

[@MrJmarzocchi]

Une des merveilles sonores de l'Humanité, suscitant le fascination. JFM

[@Mr05241948]

Very smoothly executed

[@EyesPi100]

@Beartownlad Not sure what you mean by 'copy ... would be great'. Are you asking for a copy of this? I don't think it is now possible to download. Whatever, just let me know. (Despite my having, now, uploaded a few videos, I am very much a novice in this area - i.e.KZbin so please bear with me).

[@vincent998x]

I connect 2 computers by an audio cable and record sound only of anything I want. Then you can burn off a CD. It's not too difficult and most people have an old PC hanging around.

[@shbow1]

They have to be one of the sweetest peel of bells I've ever heard and beautifully wrung !! I was lucky enough to be staying at the this thistle Atlantic tower across the road from pear head one practice night and these bells are truly wonderful and observed from the roof top terrace even the more special thanks for posting

[@richardkaye7434]

I worked in the hotel for a short while as a trainee manager, way back in 1989/90. I used to go ringing in my 3piece morning tails. Really easy to ring and great and friendly local ringers

[@laurenamy4480]

makes the ringing at mt church sound very poor! excellent ringing. one day I wish to ring with a team like this. everything sounded perfect and I couldn't even find one flaw. fantastic team, great bells.

[@aidarousseau8180]

why poor the sound of bells?

[@ringeradam4575]

she meant it makes the pacing of her church bells seem bad in comparison to these

[@EyesPi100]

Dear Roger, Thank you for your kind comments. The best thing I can do is give you links to some bellringing websites. The Central Council of Church Bellringers, Ringing Resources, which has links to numerous bellringing related websites and, nearer home for you, there is the North American Guild of Change Ringers. I'm sure you will find most, if not all the information you seek on these websites. Links are nor permitted here so I have added them to the end of the description of the video.

[@EyesPi100]

This was just a warm up. The actual test piece was broadcast on Christmas Day. No complaints from that. And Birmingham did go on to win the 12-Bell - AGAIN - so I don't think we should be too critical. If you are saying that the sound is slightly out of sync (no-one else has mentioned this - and Richard Grimmett was happy for me to upload after seeing the initial private upload) then that is down to me. The video is from my Sony Camcorder and Fuji Camera, the sound from my Zoom audio recorder.

[@cuciiysheh6225]

this isnt liverpool cathedral

[@RingerJake]

Liverpool has many other rings besides just the Cathedral.

[@EyesPi100]

Dear Clarrie, I realise this is the case. When I asked Richard (at the beginning) if he had any preference as to which ringing I should record he said 'Any' So I started straight away. Richard has already pointed out that the full test piece was the best ringing but I did not have time, in the short break, to set up again - rewind tape, change batteries, reposition camera etc. But I do have audio of the test piece. Anyway, it may lull 'the oppostion' into a false sense of security :-)

[@mitchellreeves4614]

You should come down to the Isle of Wight because you are so good at ringing

[@simonetonin]

Marvellous! And the harmonics of these bells are fantastics!

[@kennedibodally8486]

+Simone Tonin well u do know bells these days are tuned from when there tsken out of te mold & its the order of treble 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Tenor the bells are hung in number order i know coz my grandpa who's now retired &87 he used to work at a foundry so i get told his old story's

[@為食仔-p3r]

This is amazing! Is there like a book or manual on bell ringing? How do you guys co-ordinate it so well and the different patterns? Do you guys practice outside - I would think if you kept on practicing on the real bells it would drive the neighbours nuts. Where can I find like a book/manual on this subject? In the colonies, it is rare occasion to hear bells even rung by machines. Only a handful of catholic and anglican churches ring them.

[@MrJmarzocchi]

J'ai découvert - avec émerveillement - un carillon semblable, intégré dans un titre du chef-d'oeuvre du regretté George Harrison (Beatles) : The wonderfull wall (Emi) !

[@GeorgeVant]

What a great peal of bells! Could listen to that all day

[@rossbampton4779]

George Van St paulsees church èburwood

[@irkibby]

@happywanderer34 Too true, the Birmingham band should be an inspiration for any ringer worth their salt

[@gustava3266]

This has got to be the best video of ringing on you tube, brilliant striking and brilliant quality filming.

[@EyesPi100]

@clarrieg - text now edited to make this clear to viewers. Peter

[@daredevel5256]

They are kinda serious

[@lingyan6901]

It's hard to not be serious when ringing method, let alone ringing method on 12! (The difficulty goes up exponentially the more bells you add, most people ring on 6) (so yeah, you have to be pretty darn amazing to ring anything on 12)

[@aidarousseau8180]

EyesPi100 : are you of Liverpool?

[@kernowoggie]

Can anyone put names to the faces of those ringing here please?

[@bellboy222]

Pretty sure they are (from the treble) Gillian Fielden, Victoria Wilby, Mark Eccleston, Stephanie Warboys, Frances Dodds, Simon Linford, Paul Bibilo, James Forster, Tony Daw, John Warboys, Richard Grimmett, and Michael Wilby.

[@kernowoggie]

Martin Hough Thanks very much for that. If I practice enough I might get to become their mascot!

[@StellaIrisandTess]

Wow... his is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. :) Thank you!

[@TheThatch333]

Fantastic ringing ( wonderfull)

[@EyesPi100]

@Beartownlad Not seen your email yet.

[@EyesPi100]

@Beartownlad Still no sign of your email

[@timcharles5677]

brilliant atriking - the best

[@aidarousseau8180]

EyesPi100 : How much you it of bells in the Tower?

[@EyesPi100]

AIDA ROUSSEAU I think you are asking "How many bells are in the tower?". There are 12 being rung here. There are also two other bells which can brought into use when fewer than 12 bells are ringing at any one time. Hope this answers your question.

[@aidarousseau8180]

I am a passionate of the bells for my 6 years I visited foundries of the bells in Austria, Germany and France

[@aidarousseau8180]

and you like the bells ? is a passion for you?

[@aidarousseau8180]

yes of course his answer to my question

[@susanball8222]

the bells are a joy to hear and to handle st nicks liverpool

[@kevinblakemore9856]

Just ringing at it's best

[@jadhavaniket20]

Awesome ........thank you for posting this video

[@bartborgart8350]

Has nothing to do with God or churches nor religeon, just beautifull, the sounds of Bells. Really Magnificant!

[@tracciadunombra6680]

How can you state this, that it «has nothing to do with God or churches nor religion»? It would be like saying that the song "Die Fahne hoch" has nothing to do with Nazism or "The Internationale" has nothing to do with Communism. Bells are in churches, and their voice is Chistianity's voice. If an atheist likes them, so much the better.

[@toastedbutter4316]

this is by far the best striking I have ever heard

[@susanball8222]

my favorite peal just great

[@spuds4t]

I have watched and listened to this glorious piece of our campanolical music as you could wish to hear, watch and enjoy. Superb, many thanks

[@spuds4t]

Just to watch and listen to that chap on the Tenor wending his way up and down the sequence is b****y mag.

[@poly_hexamethyl]

They don't seem to be looking around much. Do they tell when to pull just by listening? It seems hard to do since there must be quite a delay between pulling and the bell sounding?

[@lingyan6901]

normally people would ring by ropesight(counting ropes to see what place you're in) but normally you can just look in the middle and see roughly everything out of the corner of you eye. I have also met ringers who ring completely by ear (I have no idea how they do it) but also there people are pretty blooming brilliant(national 12 bell people!), and just to be able to ring method on 12 bells you've gotta be pretty blooming brilliant. So I expect that they can just do it. 😂

[@mikehumble1120]

Great sounding bells😉

[@theboywhodroveaway7954]

Nice video!

[@BaroqueFlote]

Absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ramfan1981]

now thats what i call perfect

[@bastardfingers]

Best I've ever heard.

[@MandyJMaddison]

Superb!

[@daredevel5256]

This is so cool I would do this for free

[@kingofgaming791]

dare devel you don't get paid

[@fredmills368]

you can for weddings

[@lingyan6901]

But also if you fancy learning, contact a local tower and they'll be more than happy to teach you! (We're running out of ringers and everyone's desperate to recruit XD)

[@MrJmarzocchi]

Merveilleux ! JFM

[@adriansunman51]

Very good

[@kingofgaming791]

100th

[@ianrowlandian9657]

Fabulous

[@elainekennedy6010]

great ringing I love the tone the extra rope I am sure means bell number 11 becomes the tenor ?

[@EyesPi100]

No! Actually there are 14 ropes altogether which enables different combinations (scales) to be rung. The additional bells are a flat sixth (bell 9 then becomes the tenor) and an extra treble (rope is physically adjacent to that of the tenor rope) which could be considered as bell number 0. This enables a 'light ten' to be rung (bells 0 to 9 using the flat 6th instead of 6th) while the front 6 (including bell 0) become a light 6. Other combinations are also enabled. Finishing on bell 11 would sound a little odd to ringers ears. Try ending the the bell before the tenor in on any number of bells and you will understand what I am saying. Hope this helps.

[@georgesalter4260]

These sound like an excellent ring of 12 :)

[@FranzFerdinandVIII]

in fact, they sound Just like the bells of St Mary le Bow

[@ΝΙΚΟΣΠΟΔΑΣ-δ4σ]

@@FranzFerdinandVIII and st mary nottingham

[@jimsweiven9764]

This is so lame but I seriously want to do it

[@FranzFerdinandVIII]

Are you absolutely *sure* that this was not held at St Mary le Bow cause the ringing chamber and bells look and sounds like the Bow church -Franz Ferdinand VIII

[@FrancescoBellringer]

This is definitely Pier Head in Liverpool

[@FranzFerdinandVIII]

the bells here, @@FrancescoBellringer, sound *Almost Identical* to the Bow Bells (or as imma call them, "Bow's Beats")

[@FrancescoBellringer]

Franz Ferdinand VIII I know and I agree they do sound very simmilar. They’re tuned to the same note as Bow. The Ringing Room which you see in the video however is different to the ringing room at Bow. Also at the beginning of the video you can see it’s a different church and different place. Pier Head in Liverpool

[@Steven_Rowe]

How ringing room is way different. How sound so different Taylor tenors have far more breathe than Whitechapel bells. Incidentally by dad hung Bow along with Bill Theobald back in November/ December 1961. Bow are lovely bells

[@TheBeta80.]

WONDERFUL!!!

[@juanvila2976]

lo veo aburrido y repetitivo gracias

[@為食仔-p3r]

Thank U!

[@SepherStar]

And my neighbors thought me practicing the drums was bad.