As we develop as bell ringers we may often hear more refined and experienced ringers talk about a bell being “odd-struck”. They may offer us advice such as, “you need to pull that one in at handstroke” or “keep off at backstroke”. This advice, though well meaning, can be bewildering for a developing ringer.
So what is odd-struckness?
An odd-struck bell is one that doesn’t strike at the exact moment a ringer expects, creating a rhythmic “hiccup” in what we hear.
It may seem obvious to some, but it may be worthwhile to point out that really the only important thing when it comes to ringing a peal of bells is how it sounds to the world outside the tower which to a very large part means how accurate the beat of the rhythm is. So if our bell is odd-struck we need to try to recognise and accommodate its foibles and work towards making sure it sounds right, even though to the ringer it may look wrong.
Dealing with an odd-struck bell is often seen as a “rite of passage” for developing ringers. It forces you to move beyond mechanical pulling and start truly hearing the music you are making.
When we first start to ring we are taught to take the timing of our pull by visual spacing from the bell we are following. If our bell or the one we are following is odd-struck then we need to adjust the visual spacing to make sure the sound spacing is accurate.
What Causes Odd-Struckness?
Technically, a bell is odd-struck when the time interval between the start of the pull and the clapper hitting the bell is different on the handstroke compared to the backstroke.
Several physical factors may contribute to this, which will be covered in more detail in a future article, but essentially it is a slight mismatch between the bell and the clapper’s position, length or free movement.
How Ringers Adjust
- If we are assigned an odd-struck bell, we cannot simply follow the visual rhythm of the ropes. We must develop “internal compensation.”
- Identify the Error: Determine if your bell is “quick” (strikes too early) or “slow” (strikes too late) on a particular stroke.
- Adjust the Gap: If a bell is slow on the backstroke,we need to intentionally pull the backstroke a fraction earlier than the visual cue suggests. Conversely, if it is quick, we need to “hold it up” to create an artificial delay.
- Trust the Ear: This is where rhythm triumphs over sight. A ringer must listen to the internal beat of the “rounds” and place their strike where it sounds correct, even if their rope looks like it’s out of alignment with the others.
Of course, this is all much easier said than done, and being able to deal with an odd-struck bell relies on being able to hear that our bell is odd-struck in the first place. The skill of hearing our bell and how its sound fits in with the other bells is one of the most worthwhile skills a developing ringer can concentrate on building. Time spent in ringing rounds is never wasted. It allows your brain to be completely focussed on your handling and on listening to exactly where your bell sounds. Combining good handling and accurate listening is the key to good striking.
It is well worth noting that virtually all bells are odd-struck to some extent; most, though, are within an acceptable range of tolerance and most general ringers wouldn’t notice it. This fact, that some ringers have a more finely-tuned ear, helps us to understand why sometimes we might be asked to “keep closer at back-stroke on the four” or “keep well off the tenor at hand” — we are being told that we need to ring a particular bell in a way that takes into account its own peculiarities, which we may not have noticed until it was pointed out.
Listening is a skill that comes with practice. As well as ringing lots of precision rounds you can also develop the skill by actively listening when you are standing out while others are ringing. Try to hear when the treble leads and when it is making a place below the tenor. This is often the first element our brain teaches itself to pick out and once you have this under your belt you’ll find that the whole soundscape of the ringing, and your place within it, will begin to reveal itself.
Let me state loudly and clearly that I’d never claim to be the best striker – it’s something that continues to be work in progress for me, but by continuing to work on precision striking through rhythm, listening and handling, I have brought much more joy and satisfaction to my ringing and a lot less stress! Learning how to better recognise and handle odd-struck bells has been an important aspect of this endeavour.
Sometimes I think that we are often so keen to get a new method under our belt we can skip the fundamentals — that was certainly the case in my own development. I found that taking time to work on my own handling (which enables more precise striking), listening (which means I can check if the bell’s odd-struck or my rhythm is inaccurate) and sense of rhythm, has helped me enormously.
Andy Waring
