Rounds and Call Changes Worksheet

by John Heaton

The Answers to these questions can be found below.

1. Before starting to ring Rounds the Treble ringer shouts:
    a. look around, tenor's going, he's gone!
    b. on your marks, go!
    c. look to, Treble's going, she's gone!

2. When you are getting ready to pull off you:
    a. stand at ease with one hand on the sally,
    b. stand at the ready with with both hands on the sally,
    c. carry on talking to the person to your left.

3. When you pull off you:
    a. pull as hard as you can to bounce the bell off the stay at the next backstroke,
    b. hardly pull at all in case you can't pull the next backstroke,
    c. pull with a firm, straight pull and let the tail end rise.

4. When ringing Rounds you:
    a. watch the hands of the ringers to your right,
    b. watch the sally of the ringers to your right,
    c. stare at the floor.

5. The "handstroke gap" is:
    a. the gap between your hands on the sally,
    b. the extra space that you leave between yourself and the bell in front of you,
    c. the extra space left at handstroke when leading.

6. If the bell in front of you suddenly slows down you:
    a. don't alter your speed even though you will clash,
    b. speed up to fill the gap,
    c. slow down to maintain the correct gap.

7. In order to keep to the correct speed you should:
    a. pull just hard enough to bounce the bell off the stay at the correct time,
    b. watch the bell in front at handstroke then look at the floor at backstroke,
    c. listen to the bells and adjust your speed according to what you can hear.

8. When leading you should:
    a. pull your bell when you feel like it,
    b. look at the tenor rope for your visual cue,
    c. pull with a constant speed as soon as your bell balances.

9. To ring the bell quicker at handstroke you:
    a. catch the sally lower down and pull sooner,
    b. pull the sally harder,
    c. catch the sally a bit higher and pull sooner.

10. To ring the bell quicker at backstroke you:
    a. slide up the tail end a couple of inches,
    b. slide down the tail end a couple of inches,
    c. pull the previous handstroke harder.

11. To ring the bell slower at handstroke you:
    a. catch the sally slightly lower,
    b. pull the sally harder,
    c. pull the sally less hard.

12. To ring the bell slower at backstroke you:
    a. go up the tail end and don't pull so hard,
    b. pull the previous handstroke harder,
    c. pull the previous handstroke less hard.

13. During call changes the calls are called when:
    a. the conductor is pulling the sally,
    b. the conductor is pulling the tail end,
    c. the person leading is pulling the sally.

14. When affected by a call you:
    a. change places next handstroke,
    b. change places next backstroke,
    c. gradually move a bit earlier or later and wait for feedback from the conductor.

15. When there is a mistake and the conductor asks you to follow someone you:
    a. initiate a discussion on the merits of the conductor's suggestion,
    b. obsequiously acquiesce and do it immediately,
    c. say "I thought I should be!".

16. A call change swaps two bells. This means:
    a. both bells ring slower,
    b. bells rung by two ringers standing next to each other change places,
    c. two bells ringing one after the other change places.

17. The bells are ringing Rounds. "2 to 3" is called. This produces:
    a. 123456
    b. 132456
    c. 132546

18. In making the change in question 17 bell number 2 rang:
    a. quicker,
    b. slower,
    c. the same speed as Rounds.

19. In making the change in question 17 bell number 4 rang:
    a. quicker,
    b. slower,
    c. the same speed as Rounds.

20. In making the change in question 17 bell number 3 rang:
    a. quicker,
    b. slower,
    c. the same speed as Rounds.

21. To move from Rounds to 124356 a correct call is:
    a. 2 to 3,
    b. 4 to 3,
    c. 3 to 4.

22. After making the change in question 21 bell number 4 is ringing:
    a. one place earlier,
    b. one place later,
    c. in the same place.

23. After making the change in question 21 bell number 5 is ringing:
    a. one place earlier,
    b. one place later,
    c. in the same place.

24. After making the change in question 21 bell number 3 is ringing:
    a. one place earlier,
    b. one place later,
    c. in the same place.

25. From Rounds (on 4 bells), the following calls are made: "2 to 3" "2 to 4" "1 to 3" "1 to 4" "1 to 2" In which position is each bell ringing after all the calls have been made?

26. To get from Rounds to 132546 the correct calls would be:
    a. 2 to 3, 4 to 5, 2 to 5,
    b. 5 to 2, 3 to 1, 4 to 5,
    c. 2 to 3, 4 to 5.

27. To get from Rounds to 135246 the correct calls would be:
    a. 3 to 4, 2 to 4, 3 to 5,
    b. 3 to 4, 3 to 5, 2 to 4,
    c. 2 to 3, 4 to 5, 2 to 5.

28. You are ringing the 3rd in Rounds (as the normal terminology would have it) and the conductor shouts "3 to 1". What could you deduce from this?
    a. the conductor has made a mistake,
    b. there is more than one way to call Call Changes,
    c. you misheard the conductor.

29. Some of the following calls are incorrect. Which are they and what is wrong with them?
    When ringing:       The call:
    a. 123456             "3 to 2"
    b. 135246             "2 to 4" called at handstroke
    c. 142536             "4 to 2", "5 to 3" called at the same handstroke
    d. 123456             "2 to 4"
    e. 531246             "3 to 1" called at backstroke
    f. 123456             "2 to 3", "4 to 5", "2 to 5" called at the same handstroke

30. Assuming that the answer to question 28 is "b" work out the row, starting from Rounds on 6 bells, produced by the calls: "3 to 1" "5 to 2" "5 to 3

31. Match the following rows to their names:
    a. 123456                 h. 12753468             1.   Queens
    b. 135246                 i. 13579E24680T     2.    Tittums
    c. 531246                 j. 1627384950          3.    Rounds
    d. 142536                 k. 531246E9780T    4.     Whittington's
    e. 1234567890ET     l. 1357924680
    f. 13572468             m. 172839405E6T
    g. 15263748             n. 3124975680

32. On the back of this sheet, or on a beer mat, work out some calls to get:
    a. from 135246 to 123456.
    b. from 142536 to 123456.
    c. from 154326 to 123456.
    d. from 135246 to 154326.
    e. from 154326 to 142536.
    f. from 154326 to 123456 so that none of the rows produced are repetitions of those produced in part c.
    g. from Queens to Tittums on 6 bells.
    h. from Rounds to Queens on 8 bells.
    i. from Queens to Tittums on 8 bells.
    j. from Tittums to Rounds on 8 bells.

33. From 123456, write down the calls to move the Treble to sixth's place and back again.

34. Work out some calls to produce all 6 different orders of 3 bells, starting and ending with 123 and without repeating any.

35. Work out some calls to produce all 6 different orders of 3 bells and which is different from that worked out in question 34.

36. Work out some calls to produce the rows of Plain Hunt on 4 bells, without producing any other rows at all (think laterally). Plain Hunt on 4 is:
1234
2143
2413
4231
4321
3412
3142
1324
1234

37. Work out some calls on 5 bells that make each bell move from 1st's place to 5th's place in turn.

38. A popular 8-bell "peal" in Devon is to call the bells into Queens then call each bell (except the 8th) in turn from 1st's place to 7th's place until Queens reappears. The bells are then called back into Rounds. Write down the calls and the rows produced.

39. "Sixty on Thirds" (on 6 bells) is called by calling the bells into Queens. Then, repeatedly call the Treble from lead to 5th's and then 5th's to lead. Taking 3, 5, 2 and 4 in turn, each time the Treble has moved through, call up one place until behind the other three, Queens is eventually regained and the bells are called back into rounds. Work out the calls (hint - look in the back of the Diary).

40. Work out some calls to produce all 24 different orders of 4 bells, starting and ending with 1234 and without repeating any (one solution is an extension to that of question 34).

41. Work out some calls to produce all 120 different orders of 5 bells, starting and ending with 12345 and without repeating any (one solution is an extension to that of question 40).

42. Work out the number of permutations of all numbers of bells from 3 to 12.

43. Assuming a speed of 15 whole pulls per minute, work out how long all the changes on 3 to 12 bells will take if performed by call changes.

44. One way to call calling call changes is by swapping pairs of bells in certain positions. Thus Queens on 6 is obtained by swapping the pairs in 2-3 and 4-5 (leaving 1 and 6 unaffected and swapping all other pairs) then the pair in 3-4. Starting from Rounds on 6, work out the rows produced by applying this pattern several times. How many times can the pattern be repeated and how many rows are produced?

45. Extending the principle in question 44, work out which positions the pairs are in when calling from Rounds to Queens on 8 bells.

46. Work out which row is produced when calls on the bells in the same positions as those in question 45 are made when starting from Queens.

47. Work out which row is produced when calls on the bells in the same positions as those in question 45 are made when starting from the result of question 46.

48. The system in questions 45 to 47 can be visualised as a triangle with the calling starting from the base and working towards the opposite point. Starting from Rounds, work out the rows produced by starting the calling from the point of the triangle and working towards the base.

49. Work out how many triangles may be called on 10 and 12 bells and hence how many calls and the time taken to ring. Use this as an exercise in judging how long a piece of ringing would take in case you ever call something yourself.

50. Ask your ringing master if you can have a go at calling some call changes. Have some plan in mind before you start (get inspiration from any correct answers that you have given to questions 33 to 49). Whilst doing so, try to see in which position each bell is ringing; this will help develop "rope sight" (the ability to see in which position each bell is ringing). Try to watch the bells as they swap places (or fail to swap places, correcting errors as necessary). Don't call any change until you are satisfied that the ringing has settled down following a bad change.

ANSWERS:

The correct answers are shown here. In some cases the given answers are just one of several possible ones.
1. Before starting to ring Rounds the Treble ringer shouts:

c. look to, Treble's going, she's gone!

2. When you are getting ready to pull off you:

    b. stand at the ready with with both hands on the sally,

3. When you pull off you:

    c. pull with a firm, straight pull and let the tail end rise.

4. When ringing Rounds you:
    a. watch the hands of the ringers to your right,

5. The "handstroke gap" is:

    c. the extra space left at handstroke when leading.

6. If the bell in front of you suddenly slows down you:
a. don't alter your speed even though you will clash,

7. In order to keep to the correct speed you should:

c. listen to the bells and adjust your speed according to what you can hear.

8. When leading you should:

b. look at the tenor rope for your visual cue,
c. pull with a constant speed as soon as your bell balances.

9. To ring the bell quicker at handstroke you:

c. catch the sally a bit higher and pull sooner.

10. To ring the bell quicker at backstroke you:
a. slide up the tail end a couple of inches,

11. To ring the bell slower at handstroke you:

a. catch the sally slightly lower,

12. To ring the bell slower at backstroke you:

b. pull the previous handstroke harder,

13. During call changes the calls are called when:

c. the person leading is pulling the sally.

14. When affected by a call you:

a. change places next handstroke,

15. When there is a mistake and the conductor asks you to follow someone you:

b. obsequiously acquiesce and do it immediately,

16. A call change swaps two bells. This means:

c. two bells ringing one after the other change places.

17. The bells are ringing Rounds. "2 to 3" is called. This produces:

c. 132456

18. In making the change in question 17 bell number 2 rang:

b. slower,

19. In making the change in question 17 bell number 4 rang:

c. the same speed as Rounds.

20. In making the change in question 17 bell number 3 rang:
a. quicker,

21. To move from Rounds to 124356 a correct call is:

c. 3 to 4.

22. After making the change in question 21 bell number 4 is ringing:

    a. one place earlier,

23. After making the change in question 21 bell number 5 is ringing:

    c. in the same place.

24. After making the change in question 21 bell number 3 is ringing:

    b. one place later,

25. From Rounds (on 4 bells), the following calls are made: "2 to 3" "2 to 4" "1 to 3" "1 to 4" "1 to 2" In which position is each bell ringing after all the calls have been made?

    bell 1:    4th's
    bell 2:    3rd's
    bell 3:    1st's (leading)
    bell 4:    2nd's

26. To get from Rounds to 132546 the correct calls would be:

c. 2 to 3, 4 to 5.

27. To get from Rounds to 135246 the correct calls would be:

c. 2 to 3, 4 to 5, 2 to 5.

28. You are ringing the 3rd in Rounds (as the normal terminology would have it) and the conductor shouts "3 to 1". What could you deduce from this?

    a. the conductor has made a mistake,
    b. there is more than one way to call Call Changes,

29. Some of the following calls are incorrect. Which are they and what is wrong with them?

    When ringing:        The call:
    a. 123456             "3 to 2"    3 is already after 2
    b. 135246             "2 to 4" called at handstroke    correct
    c. 142536             "4 to 2", "5 to 3" called at the same handstroke    correct
    d. 123456             "2 to 4"    2 and 4 are not adjacent
    e. 531246             "3 to 1" called at backstroke    calls are made at handstroke
    f. 123456              "2 to 3", "4 to 5", "2 to 5" called at the same handstroke
                               "2 to 5" can't be called until the next handstroke when
                                they are adjacent

30. Assuming that the answer to question 28 is "b" work out the row, staring from Rounds on 6 bells, produced by the calls: "3 to 1" "5 to 2" "5 to 3
135246 (Queen's)

31. Match the following rows to their names:
    a. 123456             Rounds          h. 12753468           Whittington's
    b. 135246             Queen's         i. 13579E24680T    Queen's
    c. 531246             Whittington's j. 1627384950        Tittums
    d. 142536             Tittums         k. 531246E9780T    Whittington's
    e. 1234567890ET  Rounds         l. 1357924680         Queen's
    f. 13572468          Queen's         m. 172839405E6T   Tittums
    g. 15263748          Tittums         n. 3124975680        Whittington's

32. On the back of this sheet, or on a beer mat, work out some calls to get:
    a. from 135246 to 123456. 5 to 2, 5 to 4, 3 to 2
    b. from 142536 to 123456. 4 to 2, 5 to 3, 4 to 3
    c. from 154326 to 123456. 5 to 4, 5 to 3, 5 to 2, 4 to 3, 4 to 2, 3 to 2
    d. from 135246 to 154326. 3 to 5, 2 to 4, 3 to 4
    e. from 154326 to 142536. 5 to 4, 3 to 2, 5 to 2
    f. from 154326 to 123456 so that none of the rows produced are repetitions of those produced in part c.
                                             3 to 2, 4 to 2, 5 to 2, 4 to 3, 5 to 3, 5 to 4
    g. from Queens to Tittums on 6 bells.
                                             3 to 5, 2 to 4, 3 to 4, 5 to 4, 3 to 2, 5 to 2
    h. from Rounds to Queens on 8 bells.
                                             2 to 3, 4 to 5, 6 to 7, 2 to 5, 4 to 7, 2 to 7
    i from Queens to Tittums on 8 bells.
                                             3 to 5, 7 to 2, 4 to 6, 3 to 2, 7 to 6, 3 to 6
    j. from Tittums to Rounds on 8 bells.
                                             5 to 2, 6 to 3, 7 to 4, 5 to 3, 6 to 4, 5 to 4

33. From 123456, write down the calls to move the Treble to sixth's place and back again.
1 to 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 4, 1 to 5, 1 to 6, 6 to 1, 5 to 1, 4 to 1, 3 to 1, 2 to 1

34. Work out some calls to produce all 6 different orders of 3 bells, starting and ending with 123 and without repeating any.
1 to 2, 1 to 3, 2 to 3, 2 to 1, 3 to 1, 3 to 2

35. Work out some calls to produce all 6 different orders of 3 bells and which is different from that worked out in question 34.
2 to 3, 1 to 3, 1 to 2, 3 to 2, 3 to 1, 2 to 1

36. Work out some calls to produce the rows of Plain Hunt on 4 bells, without producing any other rows at all (think laterally).

Plain Hunt on 4 is:

                   1234
1 to 2, 3 to 4     2143
1 to 4             2413
2 to 4, 1 to 3     4231
2 to 3             4321
4 to 3, 2 to 1     3412
4 to 1             3142
3 to 1, 4 to 2     1324
3 to 2             1234

37. Work out some calls on 5 bells that make each bell move from 1st's place to 5th's place in turn.
See: Call Change Peals, The Twenty All Over

See: Call Change Peals, Devon Eight Bell Competition Piece

40. Work out some calls to produce all 24 different orders of 4 bells, starting and ending with 1234 and without repeating any (one solution is an extension to that of question 34).
                1234
        1 to 2    2134
        1 to 3    2314
        1 to 4    2341
        2 to 3    3241
        4 to 1    3214
        2 to 1    3124
        3 to 1    1324
        2 to 4    1342
        1 to 3    3142
        1 to 4    3412
        1 to 2    3421
        3 to 4    4321
        2 to 1    4312
        3 to 1    4132
        4 to 1    1432
        3 to 2    1423
        1 to 4    4123
        1 to 2    4213
        1 to 3    4231
        4 to 2    2431
        3 to 1    2413
        4 to 1    2143
        2 to 1    1243
        4 to 3    1234

41. Work out some calls to produce all 120 different orders of 5 bells, starting and ending with 12345 and without repeating any (one solution is an extension to that of question 40).
See: Call Change Peals, The Plain Changes

42. Work out the number of permutations of all numbers of bells from 3 to 12.
          Bells              Permutations
            3                    6
            4                    24
            5                    120
            6                    720
            7                    5040
            8                    40320
            9                    362880
            10                  3628800
            11                  39916800
            12                  479001600

43. Assuming a speed of 15 whole pulls per minute, work out how long all the changes on 3 to 12 bells will take if performed by call changes.
          Bells               Time
            3                    24 seconds
            4                    1 minute 36 seconds
            5                    8 minutes
            6                    48 minutes
            7                    5 hours 36 minutes
            8                    1 day 20 hours 48 minutes
            9                    16 days 19 hours 12 minutes
            10                  168 days
            11                  264 weeks (5 years 23 days)
            12                  60 years 276 days

                  123456
        2 to 3    132456    (bells in 2-3)
        4 to 5    132546    (bells in 4-5)
        2 to 5    135246    (bells in 3-4)
        3 to 5    153246    (bells in 2-3)
        2 to 4    153426    (bells in 4-5)
        3 to 4    154326    (bells in 3-4)
        5 to 4    145326    (bells in 2-3)
        3 to 2    145236    (bells in 4-5)
        5 to 2    142536    (bells in 3-4)
        4 to 2    124536    (bells in 2-3)
        5 to 3    124356    (bells in 4-5)
        4 to 3    123456    (bells in 3-4)

45. Extending the principle in question 44, work out which positions the pairs are in when calling from Rounds to Queens on 8 bells.

2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 3-4, 5-6, 4-5

46. Work out which row is produced when calls on the bells in the same positions as those in question 45 are made when starting from Queen's.

15263748 (Tittums)

47. Work out which row is produced when calls on the bells in the same positions as those in question 45 are made when starting from the result of question 46.
12345678

                  12345678
        4 to 5    12354678
        3 to 5    12534678
        4 to 6    12536478
        2 to 5    15236478
        3 to 6    15263478
        4 to 7    15263748

The first triangles on 10 and 12 will be shown in full. The others should be worked out by yourself:

                  1234567890
        2 to 3    1324567890
        4 to 5    1325467890
        6 to 7    1325476890
        8 to 9    1325476980
        2 to 5    1352476980
        4 to 7    1352746980
        6 to 9    1352749680
        2 to 7    1357249680
        4 to 9    1357294680
        2 to 9    1357924680

There are six triangles on 10 bells, giving 60 calls.

                  1234567890ET
        2 to 3    1324567890ET
        4 to 5    1325467890ET
        6 to 7    1325476890ET
        8 to 9    1325476980ET
        0 to E    132547698E0T
        2 to 5    135247698E0T
        4 to 7    135274698E0T
        6 to 9    135274968E0T
        8 to E    13527496E80T
        2 to 7    13572496E80T
        4 to 9    13572946E80T
        6 to E    1357294E680T
        2 to 9    1357924E680T
        4 to E    135792E4680T
        2 to E    13579E24680T

There are ten triangles on 12 bells, giving 150 calls.