Progressive Plain Hunt

An alternative way of teaching plain hunt involves the learner ringing from the treble and progressively plain hunting further out.

E.g. they start making 2nds and.back, which is what they do starting on the treble for Mexican wave. (Also, this can be done for various methods where the treble hunts to 2nds and back).

Then thirds and back again this can be rung in a method like cloister.

Then fourths and back again this can be done to methods like penultimus.

Finally to fifths and back.

This has the advantage of teaching places and the feel of hunting to various positions.
Of course the big draw back is that they don't get the feel of hunting out slowly and in quickly until the very end, but does help show ropesight.

It is worth noting that for the kinaesthetic learner this is a great way to learn plain hunt, but for the more traditional oral/visual learner they will probably prefer to learn the traditional way.

Traditional Plain Hunt

Plain hunt is the first "method" that a ringer is taught and is the hardest thing that they have yet come across. It is the building block of everything else that they will learn.

Firstly, what skill set does the learner need?

Lead competently
Speed up
Slow down

All of these should have been developed while teaching rounds and call changes. The change of speed is identical to that which they need to do when holding up to go back a place or speed up to go down a place.
It is worth noting that for the first time they can be changing places at backstroke as well. Perhaps try doing changes where the change is made on backstroke so that this does not feel too strange.

Terminology

Across the ringing community, the same action is described in a number of different ways just because you know what the terms are don't assume your learner does and try to be consistent with how you use them.

Leading - two blows (one whole pull) in first place. I don't think that there are too many variations on this
Hunting Out - each stroke (hand and back) move one place higher 1,2,3,4,5. Sometimes "Go out", "Out to the back", "Up to the back"
Hunting In - each stroke (hand and back) move one place lower, 5,4,3,2,1. Sometimes "Go in", "In to the front", "Down to the front"
Lie Behind - two blows in the highest place the last out stroke and first in stroke.

How to do it

Depending on the confidence of your learner there are a number of ways to teach this, explain what it is that they are going to be doing, from the lead change place each pull until they are in 5ths place and then ringing quicker each blow down until you are leading again.
Many people will argue against telling the learner the order of bells that they are following, I would not do this. The learner will be struggling trying to change pace of their bell, try and see who they are following, instead give them both pieces "2nds place over the two, thirds place over the four etc.".
I have tried teaching people as an intermediary stage to only change at handstroke, this then instills the order of the bells that they are following but the pace is "unnatural", my personal experience does not show this to be of any benefit, though that could just be my learners.
What will tend to happen is that the learner doesn't get high enough or doesn't come back down. Let the rounds settle down each time before trying again, and don't try a continue until the learner is getting back to the lead reasonably well.
Other than that it is just hard work and lots of practise.

Mexican Wave

The Mexican wave is an idea by Gordon Lucas (http://cccbr.org.uk/education/practicetoolkit/pdfs/fs_kaleidoscope.pdf) that involves a series of place making. Starting at the front and progressing out towards the back.  The link provides more details about it and tips on band placement and conducting/teaching it.

Starting from rounds ·         1 and 2 swap over ·         1 and 2 swap back ·         2 and 3 swap over ·         2 and 3 swap back ·         3 and 4 swap over ·         3 and 4 swap back ·         4 and 5 swap over ·         4 and 5 swap back

So why do it?

There are quite a few reason to try this

·         For a band who can ring call changes but has mastered plain hunt yet, this provides a little bit of the something different,

·         A learner can practise going into the lead from the 2^nd

·         For the bells further back they get to practice covering as they need to watch the bells under them go from rounds, swapped over and back to rounds before they need to swap themselves

·         Gives a bit of rope sight practice, especially towards the end of the change as they have to watch the change come up to them

·     Gives a striking practice since each person can hear their change individually
 

What to do next?

·         Treble/2^nd ringer a method that makes 2nds and back such as Bastow/Little Kent

·         Plain hunt singles

·         Start from a different position Queens/Tittums etc.

·         Have multiple Mexican Waves at the same time, e.g. call a 2^nd one when the first is about to make 3 and 4 swap

·         Instead of doing just a place try something else

Progress while not ringing

There are times when you wish that your learners would just “get it” or make quicker progress than they do. There are certain activities that they can do to improve their skills when not ringing.

Improving rope sight

Rope sight is a difficult thing to teach, some people just see it, others struggle and never quite get it. There are several exercises that the learner can do to try and help them improve their rope sight while sat watching ringing.

·         Whilst ringing with a covering tenor, get the learner to try and spot who the tenor is following

·         Try and spot what order the bells lead in

·         Try and spot whom the treble is following

These are best attempted while ringing plain methods like Bob Doubles.

Improving listening skills

Being able to hear your bell in the change is an art and with more and more bells is even more difficult, but if you can hear it then you can correct any crashes around yourself, so what the learner can do is while they are sitting and waiting try and get them to hear the treble or the tenor in the change, and where it is and if it moves. Picking the treble or the tenor is easiest as they are the highest or lowest notes in the change, once they can do that move on to the 2^nd (or 2^nd to last) bell and they can repeat until they are able to hear where the middle bells are without difficulty.

Homework

At the handling stage there is very little that can be done away from the tower, however, once the learner is confident at called changes you can start giving them things to think about during the week in between practices. Simple things could include getting them to think about how they would call changes from Rounds to Queens and back, the blue line (or circle of work) for doubles methods. It seems to me that the more experienced ringers become the more “homework” they do learning new compositions/methods indeed my desk is usually strewn with blue lines that I have drawn out.