Jul 17

A new “standard” version of “How Firm a Foundation” for eight handbells!

Some of our titles take more than one form. Our new, more accessible “standard” eight-bell version of “How Firm a Foundation” (labeled “version 2”), for instance, provides a second option for playing a more-challenging-than-easy score if you don’t have enough time to learn the original one with additional fiddly bits. We have a video for each version, of course, so that you can determine which version best fits your (current) needs. Hint: watch for how rapidly our hands move!

How Firm a Foundation – for 8 Handbells – arr. Larry Sue from Larry and Carla – Handbell Duo on Vimeo.

Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment/instrumental score(s), if part of the purchase) – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jul 14

Just a Closer Walk with Thee (CLOSER WALK) – Sixteen handbells

Just a Closer Walk with Thee probably dates from the nineteenth century, but has an unknown composition date. Regardless, this prayer seeking closeness to God has helped many believers as they’ve struggled through difficulties. The simply-stated, yet profound message reminds us that we can stay close to Him in this life as we anticipate the safety and comfort of everlasting glory.

Our new arrangement for sixteen handbells brings out the joyous spirit of the song with a traditional swing as the rhythmic backdrop after a gentle, meditative introduction. The second verse really needs a tap dancer (which we, unfortunately, cannot provide). We know you’ll enjoy playing it!

Tap dancer not included for the second verse…

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom’s shore, to Thy shore.

Purchasing this 16-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to eight copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

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Jul 06

We have one book!

We have one book in our e-store, the Bass Ringer’s Notebook. It covers many topics withing the first of ringing bass handbells, and Handbell Musicians of America recognizes it as a useful reference on the subject.

You may ask what need there would be for such a volume. After all, “a handbell is a handbell is a handbell”, no? Well, not quite, because they become larger and heavier as you proceed to lower and lower notes. For instance, the highest bells in a five-octave set weigh about half a pound apiece, with their handles accounting for over half of the weight in some cases. By contrast, the largest/lowest bells in that same five-octave set weigh between seven and eleven pounds (yes, each), depending in manufacturer.

The sheer mass of bass handbells imposes a few requirements on the ringers assigned to that part of the table: You must be able to lift them, you must be able to play them, and you must be able to damp them (i.e. “turn them off”). All of those require better than average strength, and so most of the time the biggest and brawniest players receive the assignment to manage them. I have to admit, though, that I don’t fit the “bass ringer paradigm”; I became a bass ringing specialist because my director sent me to that part of the table (and everywhere else, by the way), and then by acquiring the entire lowest octave when my bass tandem partner moved on to another exciting opportunity. Now I simply achieve reconciliation of the mass and volume of bass bells with my less-than-impressive stature by noting in workshops that “I have an advantage over many of you, because I’m already down here where the bells are on the table.”

The Bass Ringer’s Notebook documents much of my experience as a bass ringing specialist and the techniques that go into what I do as a bass ringer. Completeness, though, hasn’t happened, because I’m still learning! We’re at the second edition now, but a third might emerge at some point.

I hope you’ll consider this volume for your library, and as a means of adding to what you know about handbells

Jul 03

She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes – Twelve handbells

She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain is an American folk song that, according to Wikipedia, was first presented as we know it today in 1927. The melody is identical to the spiritual “When the Chariot Comes”, so the original spiritual (and possible reference to the Underground Railroad) has been covered by the modern lyrics.

As the tune is a bit different between sides of the Atlantic Ocean, we have US and UK versions available!

She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes,
She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes,
She’ll be coming round the mountain,
She’ll be coming round the mountain,
She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes.

And the UK version intersperses the following between the US verses:

She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes.
Singing ‘ay, ay, yippee, yippee ay!’
Singing ‘ay, ay, yippee, yippee ay!’
Singing ‘ay, ay, yippee, ay, ay, yippee!’
Singing ‘ay, ay, yippee, yippee ay!’

US Version

 UK Version

Purchasing this 12-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to six copies for your handbell group – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Jun 28

Premiere performance video of “Smiles”!

We premiered our arrangement of Smiles by Lee S. Roberts and J. Will Callahan at the 2023 Bay View Week of Handbells. Smiles came into being in 1917 or 1918 at Mr. Callahan’s Bay View cottage; the bit of Michigan woodland next to the cottage that Callahan formerly owned commemorates the occasion with a sign. The Bay View community has made many contributions to the arts over its 150 years of Chautauqua existence.

We (Carla and Larry) made a five-octave demo video so everyone at BVWOH would know how it sounded. We’re happy to present the recording of the first-ever live performance of Smiles.


Thanks to Pierpont Productions for making this video!

Jun 24

A Sparrow on Christmas Morning (Handbells, 3 or 5 octaves, plus handchimes, 3 octaves, Level 3+)

Otto Kotilainen’s Finnish carol A Sparrow on Christmas Morning tells the story of a sparrow that has exhausted his summer food supply. In danger of starving in the winter cold, he visits a young girl who offers him a seed to eat. The sparrow gratefully accepts the offer, and then reveals that he, her deceased younger brother, has returned from heaven to visit her.

Our arrangement for three or five octaves of handbells, plus three octaves of handchimes, contains plenty of enjoyable challenges for your bell choir, including suspended mallets and rich chime lines. Your B67 C78 ringer will love this piece, as the Position 11 has several solo lines representing the sparrow.

The lyrics tell the story wonderfully:

Finnish:
Varpunen jouluaamuna sanat

Lumi on jo peittänyt kukat laaksosessa,

järven aalto jäätynyt talvipakkasessa.

Varpunen pienoinen, syönyt kesäeinehen,
järven aalto jäätynyt talvipakkasessa.

Pienen pirtin portailla oli tyttökulta:

– Tule, varpu, riemulla, ota siemen multa!

Joulu on, koditon varpuseni onneton,

tule tänne riemulla, ota siemen multa!

Tytön luo nyt riemuiten lensi varpukulta:

– Kiitollisna siemenen otan kyllä sulta.

Palkita Jumala tahtoo kerran sinua.

kiitollisna siemenen otan kyllä sulta!

En mä ole, lapseni, lintu tästä maasta,

olen pieni veljesi, tulin taivahasta.

Siemenen pienoisen, jonka annoit köyhällen,

pieni sai sun veljesi enkeleitten maasta.

 English:
A Sparrow on Christmas Morning

Snow has already covered the flowers in the valley
The wave of a lake has frozen in the winter frost
A little sparrow has eaten its summer food
The wave of a lake has frozen in the winter frost

On stairs of little house stood deargirl:
Come, sparrow, joyfully, take this seed from me!
It’s Christmas, my homeless sparrow is miserable
Come, sparrow joyfully, take this seed from me!

The dear sparrow flew joyously to the girl
Gratefully I do take the seed from you
God will want to reward you once
Gratefully I do take the seed from you

I’m not, my child, bird from this land
I’m your little brother, I came from Heaven
The tiny seed, which you gave to the poor
Got your little brother from the land of angels

Purchasing the handbell choir version of this arrangement grants permission to print and maintain up to fifteen copies for your handbell ensemble; purchasing the single copy version grants permission to print and maintain one copy. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!

Jun 20

In what order should I hold my bells?

The question of how to configure four-in-hand bells (usually for eight-bell duets or twelve-bell trios) comes up every now and then. The mental effort required to manage four notes simultaneously dictates a need to make as much of that thinking as automatic as possible.

One school of thought goes with the idea of holding the bells in keyboard order, so “C/D E\F”, where the forward slash denotes a left-hand pair with the C as “primary” and the D as “secondary” (see my earlier post about what “primary” and “secondary” mean). The backward slash specifies a right-hand pair. This incorporates they layout of the piano that we understand, so it’s fairly intuitive.

The “parallel thirds” approach, C/E D\F, takes advantage of the harmonic structure of the music we hear most often in Western society where our chords come from triads. For instance, C-E-G forms a triad defined as a C major chord. It turns out that our harmony contains thirds more often than seconds (combinations of adjacent piano keys), which means “parallel thirds” makes them more manageable.

A physical reason leads to the “heavy primaries” approach. Handbells vary in size and therefore weight, so making the heavier bell of a pair is more manageable (yes, both in American and British four-in-hand). Doing this with the four bells we’re setting up with C/E F\D.

These possibilities constitute just three of the possible twenty-four permutations. Rest assured that no one can prevent you from using any of the other twenty-one; however, in practice you’ll most often encounter these three. However, a funny aspect of choosing your favorite four-in-hand configuration arrises when you consider the challenge of playing consecutive notes with the same hand: You can’t escape! It turns out that changing the order of bells in your hands only succeeds in moving the problem to another part of the piece!

Carla and I describe how this all works in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner: “All you have to do is remember which bells are in each hand, when each plays, and when to turn each one off.” Simple, no?

Jun 15

Oh, How I Love Jesus – for eight handbells

The tune OH, HOW I LOVE JESUS is a simple one; its composer is unknown. It’s been sung for quite a long time as a gentle expression of faith in Christ for young children and mature adults. We hope you’ll enjoy playing our arrangement for eight handbells!

There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth;
it sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth.
Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me!

It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free;
it tells me of his precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea.
Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me!

It tells of one whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe;
who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below.
Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me!

Purchasing this 8-bell arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain up to four copies for your handbell group (plus the accompaniment score) – so you only need to pay once. Purchase also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!

Jun 12

Home on the (Free) Range!

Home on the Range is an American cowboy song romanticizing life in the old West. You know… riding horses, herding cattle, sleeping under the stars, and sitting by the campfire at night. There are some of us who think about how much easier that would be than working in the big city with its manic drive to succeed. To help you get that sense of relaxation, you can download and play our new free arrangement of Home on the Range!

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Home, home on the Range;
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Downloading this free arrangement gives you permission to print and maintain copies for your handbell group, and also gives permission for performance, broadcasting, live-streaming and video-sharing online. See our licensing agreement for full details, and please remember to mention the title and arranger of the piece on video-sharing sites, social media and any printed materials such as concert programs.

Find Larry and Carla on Facebook!

Jun 11

Why do each of us hold our bells differently?

If you’ve watched our eight-bell videos, you may have noticed that Carla and I hold our handbells in different ways. The handbell terminology is that she’s using “British four-in-hand”, while I’m using “American four-in-hand”, which is also known as “ring and knock”. The difference will always be there, because we each are sticking with what we learned long ago as new ringers; switching styles would be very, very difficult, because what each of us do has become to automatic.

Four-in-hand (abbreviated “4iH”) really is a bit of a misnomer, since it really is four bells in two hands, not four bells in each hand (or one hand). Somewhere along the line, the present term stuck, and so we just use it without questioning it, since no one worries (much) about whether the term fits its meaning.

American 4iH is called “ring and knock”, because one bell is played the same way you’d play it if you just one bell in your hand – that’s the “ring” bell. The other is turned 90º so that its clapper direction is perpendicular to the other bell; newbie 4iHers are often told that they play that bell as if they’re knocking on a door. The reason for the 90º rotation is to “orthogonalize” (separate) the ringing directions of the two bells so that they can be controlled independently. When the crossed bells are laid on a surface, the top one (“primary”) is the “ring” bells and the bottom one (“secondary”) is the “knock” bell.

British 4iH also sets up with the same sort of perpendicularity, except that the secondary is the “ring” bell and the primary is played with an inward motion. Carla’s written a wonderful article on the subject which I encourage you to check out. Suffice it to say, however, that the different setups are enough to make our individual ringing appearances somewhat different.

Take a look!