Practice Time
We all meet at 2 o'clock on a Monday afternoon in term time. The first thing to do is to set up the tables. We currently use six strengthened wallpaper pasting tables, covered with 4 inch thick foam pads. We set up the music stands and get the bells out of their cases.
We always hope to begin practising by quarter past 2 but often there's so much to talk about that it is nearly half past by the time we begin. After half an hour of strenuous bell ringing we are in need of a cup of tea. We now have our own bell ringers' mugs and enjoy tea and biscuits and more chat, and discussion of any arrangements for forthcoming performances or bell ringers events. We take it in turns to make the tea - to look at the current tea rota please click here.
After tea there's usually another 30 to 40 minutes of practice before we all leave at 4 o'clock leaving the bells set up for the SAS Ringers and their evening practice.
For a selection of musical terms used by bell ringers please click here
One for the tea towel!
We’re playing “Le Cantique de Jean Racine”, there are twelve bars piano introduction and we’re all busy counting; then 1,2,3 and a bass A comes in on the 4th beat, all eyes are on the bass ringer who waves her arm majestically on time, but no sound comes from the bell – the whole team and pianist collapse in fits of laughter and we have to start counting from the beginning again.
Practice time for the 2 O'Clock Bells
