1: Rounds at Emley

The bell which is slow to pull off is the 4th.

2: To get from Rounds to Queens

You could do it like this (the information after each change shows you which positions have swapped, not which bells; it's an important distinction):

123456
132456     2nds and 3rds   (i.e. the bells in 2nd and 3rd positions swap)..... The conductor would call '23'
132546     4ths and 5ths   (i.e. the bells in 4th and 5th positions swap)..... The conductor would call '45'
135246     3rds and 4ths    (i.e. the bells in 3rd and 4th positions swap)..... The conductor would call '25'

(Note that for the final change that the bells in 3rd and 4th position swap. In the row 132546, they are 2 and 5, not 3 and 4).

or like this:

123456
123546    4ths and 5ths ..... The conductor would call '45'
132546    2nds and 3rds ..... The conductor would call '23''
135246    3rds and 4ths ..... The conductor would call '25'

and to get from Rounds to Tittums

You can do this:

123456
124356    3rds and 4ths ..... The conductor would call '34'
124536    4ths and 5ths ..... The conductor would call '35'
142536    2nds and 3rds ..... The conductor would call '24'

or this:

123456
124356    3rds and 4ths ..... The conductor would call '34'
142356    2nds and 3rds ..... The conductor would call '24'
142536    4ths and 5ths ..... The conductor would call '35'

In each case, Rounds to Queens and Rounds to Tittums, you need to swap three pairs. Of course, there are longer routes, but I asked you to find the shortest!

Did you notice that getting from Rounds to Tittums is the reverse process to that of getting from Rounds to Queens?

Queens and Tittums are intimately related in a way which will become clearer later.

Rows and Changes

When ringers refer to ‘a change’ they usually mean ‘a row’. When people talk about ‘ringing the changes’ they really ought to talk about ‘ringing the rows’. Up in the tower, or when you’re busy ringing handbells, you don’t need to worry about the distinction. However, when you’re learning about the theory behind change ringing, it helps if you use the two terms correctly. Let’s get these words precisely defined:

• A row is a sequence of numbers: for example, 536124.
• A change is an operation which takes you from one row to an other: for example, swapping the bells in 4th and 5th position.

The way in which you write a row (the notation) is obvious: you simply write down all the numbers in the appropriate order.

The notation for a change is less obvious. The way in which this is done is called ‘Place Notation’. I’ll show you how to do this soon enough. Many tower bell ringers go for years without ever thinking about Place Notation. However, it’s a very useful concept for handbell ringers, as you will see.