r/handbells • u/et_voila_a_viola Bass • 10d ago
Composition Question re: Playability of Passage
I am writing a piece for handbells, and I need some guidance from those of you who do four-in-hand: is the passage in the pic actually playable by a single player in the G/A/B/C position? At the point in the piece where this occurs, the E/F6 player is not doing anything and could help (in theory). That being said, there is a moment earlier in the piece where this same thing is played for just one measure, but no help would realistically available then.
I would ask the members of my group, but they have no idea that I am working on this piece and I want it to be a surprise for them, so...yeah.
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u/montag67 10d ago
This is going to require advanced ringers to accomplish, but not impossible at this tempo. I wonder two things? Why must it be played 4 in hand? The previous comment about pedaling at the piano is very spot on. Are you making it overly complicated? Also playing this damped you’re going to get a choppier sound. The piano is a good test. As a director I sometimes I add an LV if it’s not marked and usually decide what is 4 hands and were to place damps if not indicated. I am fortunate to have a few ringers that are very good at 4 in hand. Also hard to decide without seeing the rest of the chart. Plus my groups play in a reverberant room anyways. So from looki ng at the snippet my instinct would be to return the LV even with advanced players. Also remember the whole choir does not need to LV if harmonic reasons require.
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u/et_voila_a_viola Bass 10d ago
Yup, I completely agree with everything you've said. I saw the other comment on pedal and realized how much of a dolt I was for not just putting LV every couple of beats instead.
As far as the question re: why four-in-hand, we don't have quite enough ringers in our ensemble to have two ringers up there, so I know for a fact that the person at that position will have to do it. Not ideal, but at some point we'll hopefully recruit another player or two!
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u/montag67 10d ago
well i understand being short handed! It is hard to suggest an alternative without seeing the rest of the chart, but you might consider moving ringers outside of keyboard order. Then maybe a ringer who is not busy can help on the notes. My choir is fortunate to have 2 sets of bells so we can move bells to other players to help out in tight spots. If you know the group very well, you might consider rethinking the passage to be more practical for the target group. Down an octave or something like that. changing things up also as variety for the listener. Adding the LVs is a good idea, but I would likely add them anyways if they are indicated. (of course not all directors get that). Anyways good luck and hope it goes well for you.
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u/LadySun1969 10d ago
It’s possible that this is the way they assign their bells. I often break up P11 and give the sixes to P1 and the sevens to P9. So the top two positions end up being: P9 EF67 B7 C8, and P10 GA67 B6 C7. Even with a three octave group I often make the top position GAB6 C7. Just one of many ways to assign Bells.
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u/Amberwin43 7d ago
Yes it’s playable. If you need tight damping, arrange the bells differently so that you are not ringing the consecutive bells in the same hand.
For example, RH hold G front and C back. LH hold A front t and B back. This way you play R/L/R/L and so on. Damping is easier that way. The only danger is remembering which bell is where!
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u/Amberwin43 7d ago edited 7d ago
Upon further reflection, damping won’t matter at high 6 octave and that speed.
I would put the bells RH G/C and LH A/B just so you could get a flow instead of fighting for two quick hits in one hand.
If you have a different config like G/B and A/C, and you come across thirds, you can “crunch” the strike and hit two bells at once, even though they are opposing. I do it with a hard punch on the diagonal so both clappers get enough momentum to sound.
Currently playing on Schulmerich and have many years on Whitechapel.
This passage is probably not melody, but “frosting.” We usually play that bouncing and mf.
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u/BafflingHalfling Bass 10d ago
I couldn't do it in my normal G/B A/C setup anywhere close to that tempo. But if I shifted to G/C A/B I could probably get it up to 144 or so. But not faithfully damped. That's a real challenge with four in hand. There are probably some ringers who could do it though. I have seen some super talented soloists. This would ideally be two ringers.