Graham is the developer of Composition Library and Handbell Stadium, a notable composer, and a member of the eBells team.
Where are you based?
Brimpton near Newbury, Berkshire
When and where did you learn to ring handbells?
West Wickham in Kent in 1973 with two other complete novices
Who has influenced your handbell ringing?
Most rapid progress is made with the help of exceptionally talented conductors, so I would wish to thank Marcus Sherwood, Bernard Groves, David Brown, Richard Pearce and Jack Page in particular; but I am also lucky to have lived near a brilliant hub of committed handbell ringers for the last 35+ years.
Blue lines, place notation or structure?
Positions until Plain Bob and Kent were mastered, then blue lines and the grid to understand how the bells interact.
Trebles or tenors?
I gave way to other fixed pair ringers early on, so after a brief introduction with fixed pairs (but rarely the trebles), I learnt to ring any pair. Being flexible presents many more opportunities.
Quarters or peals?
I have attempted at least one handbell peal every week for many decades, with over 1650 handbell peals to date - well over twice as many as I have rung on tower bells. I have rung a large number of quarters too, mostly to help others progress, but I haven't kept count of them.
What is the most unusual place in which you have rung handbells?
As part of the dedication celebrations for the new ring of bells of Vernet-les-Bains, France, we rang a touch on handbells in a public square in front of the local community of most French people, who had never seen change ringing on handbells before. In May 2015, we rang a public peal of Bristol Maximus on handbells in the church of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich marking the 300th anniversary of the first true recorded peal there. It attracted quite an audience, and the band really rose to the occasion, ringing an almost faultless peal.
What is your favourite handbell-ringing anecdote?
One of the hazards of ringing handbell peals is setting off in daylight only to realise that it is getting dark and you haven't turned the lights on. One one such occasion, David Moore , whose house we were ringing in, calmly stood up did a complete 360 turn round his chair turning on the light switch as he went past, before sitting down again, all the time swinging his two bells perfectly in place.
Any further comments about handbell ringing in general?
Handbell ringing is the ultimate in mental exercise, with immense satisfaction when you prove to yourself that you and your band can concentrate for the designated time while navigating your two bells through more and more difficult methods as your experience grows. As developer I declare a vested interest, but my advice to any handbell ringer regardless of experience would be to obtain a pair of eBells and Handbell Stadium to practice privately before ringing with your band. It will accelerate your progress enormously. I only wish that simulators had been available when I was learning to ring handbells!
Next time: Eric Trumpler