Apocryphal story behind Funeral Tango: Chopin, bored of hanging out with George Sand in Europe, decided to take a vacation to the then-young United States of America. He visited the Midwest, notably St. Louis, MO, and after that took a side trip to South America… and so we have the Funeral Tango. It’s all of …
Tag: Low Ding Zone
Low Ding Zone, the World's First Bass-Only Handbell Ensemble, was a handbell ensemble based in Palo Alto, California. Larry Sue was the Conceptual Founder and Artistic Figurehead for all of LDZ's mad run of chirocampanological insanity (2005-2013). The group had many strange bits of bass ringing terminology, such as "gurlie bells" (any bells playable as a Shelley secondary - which meant E3 was a gurlie bell). One of the slogans that LDZ had was "impossible is only the beginning."
LDZ Arrangements – Outta My Way Blues – Bass handbell ensemble
Welcome to what probably is one of the strangest handbell pieces in existence. The Outta My Way Blues is scored for seven or eight ringers, four of whom must be clarinetists (don’t worry, there are C insrument parts in case you’d rather play with this four oboes…). But… here’s the video, so you can see …
LDZ Arrangements – Yes, We Have No Bananas – Bass handbell ensemble
Yes, We Have No Bananas, by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn, was rumored to have been an amalgamation of quotes from other tunes. For instance, the first four notes of the melody match the Hallelujah Chorus, the next bit is “oh, bring back my bonnie to me”, and there apparently is a rather chromatic piece …
LDZ Arrangements – By the Light of the Silvery Moon – Bass handbell ensemble
By the Light of the Silvery Moon, he classic song by Gus Edwards and Edward Madden from 1909 (yes, that far back!) comes to life in this happy, bouncy eight-bell arrangement. You’ll have loads of fun playing it! Place park, scene dark, silvery moon is shining through the trees; Cast two, me, you, sound of …
Feb 02
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
A dear friend sent email today… “I’d like to purchase the pdf of “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen…” Another asked whether she could get “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” – so both bass handbell ensemble arrangments are now available for various number of players. It’s nice to have a very-easy-to-manage e-store! It’s …
LDZ Arrangements – Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen – Bass handbell ensemble
Negro spirituals are a vibrant and poignant expression of faith from over a century ago. This one speaks of complete reliance on a Savior who cares and comforts even in the most difficult of circumstances. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen / Nobody knows but Jesus Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen / Glory, Hallelujah …
Low Ding Zone (Bass Handbell Ensemble) Music
At a Bay Bells (Cupertino, California) rehearsal in late 2005, I noticed that we had a team of five bass ringers that was really solid, and asked them, “What if we formed a bass handbell ensemble?” Everyone (Lisa, Kevin, Gretchen, Wil, and me) thought it would be a cool idea, so we put things together …
Bass Ringer’s Notebook, Second Edition
The Bass Ringer’s Notebook has been a reference work for bucket slingers since 2007. This second edition provides updated information, new ideas, and illustrations with matching YouTube videos that show how to perform with your bass bells. Topics include: Lifting Bass Bells – Every note played on every handbells starts with a lift. With bass …
