Ding

Practicing using Bob

As well as ringing with a band, you can also use Ding to ring by yourself, using Bob to ring all the other bells. This gives you the opportunity to practice using Ding to improve your ringing when with a band, as well as learning new methods ready for when we are able to ring in our towers again.

New Ringers

Rounds

As a first step, just give yourself one bell, and ring rounds with Bob. You can start off doing this on 6 bells, but then increase the number as you get more used to it. Also ring different bells within the ring, so you're used to leading, covering, and ringing inbetween. The aim for each is to get a smooth rhythm.

Covering

Once you're happy ringing rounds, set up Bob to ring plain hunt on 5. To do this, click the Set Method button, and select Plain Hunt of Five in the dropdown box, and then click OK.

Set up the tower to have 6 bells, with Bob ringing 1-5 and you on the 6. Now start ringing. You now have to ring the 6 in last place every time, but the other bells will change places in front of you. Just wait for all 5 other bells to ring, then ring the 6 each time.

Plain Hunting

Set up the Bob as before, but this time, give yourself the 1, and Bob 2-6. You now have to hunt. After the first two rounds, you have to ring in 2nd place, then 3rd, then 4th, then 5th, then 5th again, then 4th, then 3rd, then 2nd, and finally lead twice. Ring this repeatedly until you get the hang of it.

Trebling to a Method

This is exactly the same as Plain Hunting, except that the other bells are following more complex patterns. Because of this, you will ring through Plain Hunt several times during one course of the method.

To set this up in Bob, select Plain Bob Doubles. Once again, give yourself the 1 and Bob 2-6. Now do exactly the same as before, moving up one place at a time until you get to 5ths place (where you ring twice), then one moving down one place at a time until you get to lead (where you also ring twice). Repeat this sequence three more times, to get back to rounds.

If you get stuck

Remember you can always ask more advanced ringers from your tower for help. You can also set up as above, but give Bob all the bells, and just watch what he does with your bell. You can also slow Bob down to give you more time to see what's happening.

Advance Ringers

You can practice any method with Bob, ringing one or two bells yourself. You can also ring Bobs and Singles by using the t and y keys to call, or by entering a composition into Bob's Advance Method box beforehand so that Bob can call it.

Ding and Bob have already been used for practicing everything from Plain Hunt to Bristol and Orion Surprise Maximus, so whatever method you want to work on, you can practice it using Ding and Bob.