Handbells

English Handbells were introduced to the US in the 1920's by P.T. Barnum. Despite these ignoble beginnings, the art has progressed to include some of the finest amateur musicians (and not a few semi-professionals, as well) with an amazing output every year of both original compositions and arrangements of other tunes. (Granted, not all of these are masterpieces, but hey, even Beethoven had his "off" days. Just look at "Wellington's Victory.")

A while back I noticed that there was a need in the handbell community for a central depot of basic information. On the Handbell-L (more on this below) it seemed that the same questions kept coming up over and over again, and to answer these questions either someone had to recompose the same answers again and again, or go foraging through the archives to find a previously-composed answer. I designed this site to be an archive for some of the frequently-asked-questions of the bell world.

Since then, though, the site has exploded into a repository for as much of the basic information of the ringing art as I can come up with. Some of these documents have been written by other people, as noted within the document itself. Most, though, have been written by me, and as such reflect my biases about ringing. While I have tried to include as many different viewpoints as possible on controversial matters, you may still find you disagree with me on points. Just as there's no single way to play the violin or program a computer, there's no One True Path to musical excellence on handbells.

If you feel that there is a viewpoint which I am neglecting in any document, please tell me! Likewise, if you have a topic you'd like to see covered, let me know. Even better: write it up yourself, and I will archive it here.

All these documents are Copyright © 1997-2003 Paul Kingsbury, unless otherwise stated. You may distribute them as you see fit, but you must cite the author(s) and give the full URL of the document.

• Here's something everyone always asks, especially non-ringers to bass ringers: "How heavy are those things, anyway?" [Last modified Wed 10 Sep 2003]
• OK, so it's not handbells per se, but it's still pretty cool. Come take a look at my visit to the belfry of the Freiburg Münster. [Last modified Fri 30 June 2000]
• Assignment strategies for every occasion. [Last modified Thu 29 Jun 2000]
• Some tips on making the transition from ringer to director. [Last modified Sat 11 Mar 2000]
• Everyone's favorite skill: weaving. [Last modified Sat 11 Mar 2000]
• Articulations for every occasion. [Last modified Fri 10 Dec 1999]
• Here's a page with some very basic advice for beginning choirs. [Last modified Tue 30 Nov 1999]
• VERY comprehensive overview of techniques used in the treble (5's and up). [Last modified Mon 2 Nov 1998]
• Bass Bell Bombast [Last modified Sun 3 Oct 1998]
• Everything you ever wanted to know about the physics of handbells. [Last modified Sun 3 Oct 1999]
• Battery Drills [Last modified Fri 10 Jul 1998]
• Four-in-Hand and other multiple-bell techniques. [Last modified Fri 10 Jul 1998]
• A little document on damping which I am not entirely happy with yet, but I'll offer up for comments. [Last modified Fri 10 Jul 1998]
• If it says, "out of print", what does that mean? [Last modified Fri 10 Jul 1998]
• How to recover from a train wreck. [Last modified Fri 10 Jul 1998]

Naturally, this site is not the be-all and end-all of handbell resources on the Web, although I wish it were. Some of the others are listed below:

• Over 1000 consultants at your beck and call! Handbell-L. This is a lively mailing list with correspondants from all over the world and with all kinds of differing viewpoints, from the most advanced groups to "my church just found these bells in a closet. What do we do with them?"
• The "official" resource on the Web: AGEHR online
• Paul Schaper has a very well-designed page with some very good information, with very little overlap with this page.
• Bonnie Woolley has a nice list of information.
• Here is a list of about a bazillion other handbell groups with Websites.
• You can visit the Websites of Whitechapel, Schulmerich, Malmark, and Taylor bell companies.

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Comments? Questions? Complaints? Mail me!