Bell Instruments

Scope

Over the centuries, bell founders and campanologists have given names to represent the musical scope and number of bells in a ringing collection.

Single Bell

A single bell is a monotonic instrument. With traditional ringing devices it will always sound one note when struck. Larger bells sound lower notes than smaller bells.

Peal

If we add a second bell of a different size, we can play the two together to form a simple chord, or if we ring them in sequence we can ring the simplest of melodies: Ding Dong, Dong Ding or other combinations of the two notes.

We use the word peal as a noun when we refer to a collection of two or more bells that are not installed or fitted for playing musical melodies. We use peal as a verb when we ring this collection of bells together either by swinging them in a gimbal mounting, or simulating this swinging action using strike timing and other means on bells that are hung on stationary beams.

Ring

In the United Kingdom you can find hundreds of bell instruments uniquely designed for group participation. A ring will be comprised of six or more bells.

Each bell in a ring of bells is suspended in a rotating headstock quite different from a traditional swinging bell headstock. The design of a ringing headstock does not allow the bell to freely swing back and forth. Instead, a bell in a ring swings between two rest positions, right side up and upside down. Each time the bell is moved from one position to the other its clapper strikes the bell's note.

Attached to the headstock is a wheel of sufficient size to allow the bell to be controlled by a rope. The wooden stop that holds the bell at the top position is sprung to allow the rope to be pulled so that the rebound action brings the bell back to the lower rest position.

The ropes used to swing the bells are arranged in a circle in the ringing room and fitted with colored wool grips called sallies. The ringers stand in a circle, each holding their own sally to ring one bell. Rather than playing a music tune, the ringers follow one another to perform sequenced permutations called changes.