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The glossary in The Tower Handbook included diagrams to explain terms that were best defined visually. These are reproduced below together with their accompanying text, using the original Figure numbers: 15.1-1, etc. (Section 15 was the glossary.)


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15.1 Method construction 

The diagram shows a lead (the basic repeating block) of a treble dominated  method . In most methods (but not for example Grandsire)  rounds  is the row  immediately following a point of symmetry  (the lead end change ). The bars show where the places  are made in each change , and this is reflected in the place notation  on the left.


   First lead of Double Oxford MinorFigure 15.1-1 - The first lead of Double Oxford Minor

The full place notation is X 14 X 12 X 36 X 56 X 36 X 36 X 14 X 12, but this is normally abbreviated to X14X12X36X56 le 12, or X4X2X3X5 le 12. See section 13.10.q.
 


Figure 15.1-2 - Blue lines for the treble & place bells  of Double Oxford Minor

Blue lines for the treble & place bells of double Oxford MinorDrawing a line through the path of each bell will give these patterns.

The treble returns to lead and so repeats a hunting path. The other bells move to a different position at the next lead head, so they then do the work starting at the new position. This process continues until they have done the work of all the other working bells, in the order of the work. Drawing these end to end gives the 'blue line' of the method
 


Figure 15.1-3 - The blue line for a course of Double Oxford Minor

Blue line for a course of Double Oxford MinorThe complete blue line  for Double Oxford Minor is shown on the right. The dots show the start points for each inside bell. It is shown in the conventional way running from top to bottom. This relates naturally to its derivation from the figures above.

 

 

Some people, and a few publications, show blue lines running from left to right, as shown below.

This has the advantage that hunting ‘up ’ or ‘down ’ corresponds to upwards or downwards on the page.


 Sideways blue line for a course of Double Oxford Minor
 


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15.2 Blue line building blocks

 Types of huntingFigure 15.2-1 - Types of hunting

The basic framework of most methods is plain hunting (or treble bob hunting for treble bob methods).
 


Single dodgesFigure 15.2-2 - Single dodges 

Dodges appear in nearly all methods. Strictly, a dodge is a single backward step that interrupts hunting, but most people think of the dodge as a slightly larger unit that includes some of the hunting and/or place making on either side. The diagrams show both up and down dodges, and how the work of the two dodging bells fits together.
 


Multiple dodgesFigure 15.2-3 - Multiple dodging and places

Multiple successive dodges form large units that are recognisable in their own right. Some methods substitute Kent places where a dodge might otherwise occur. This substitution only swaps two blows in two rows, but feels quite different to ring because of the place making, and because the two bells cross on the opposite stroke.
 


Place makingFigure 15.2-4 - Place making

Places made are also often thought of not as single blows but as small pieces of work including the adjacent hunting. Places are sometimes made over or under another bell in a way that makes it easier to ring if this is understood. The examples show the common seconds made at a lead end in many methods and the way 3rds and 4ths are made at a single in methods such as Plain Bob.
 


Court placesFigure 15.2-5 - Court places:

Court places are made next to the treble, and the line crosses the treble’s path. This over and under relationship occurs in many other situations, where a bell ‘runs through’ a pair of places, eg in Cambridge and Yorkshire places (see below).
 


Interestingnnamed workFigure 15.2-6 - Work with interesting names

Some sorts of work acquire names by visual association. There are many variations. Here are three common ones.
 


Stedman workFigure 15.2-7 - Work found in Stedman 

Stedman is very different from most other common methods, but because of its popularity the forms of work within it have acquired names that are widely known. These names are sometimes used where similar work occurs in other methods.
  


Complex placesFigure 15.2-8 - More complex sets of places

Surprise methods give rise to many named pieces of work. Here are three of the more common (thick lines) with samples of the work that complements them (thin lines).
 


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15.3 Setting out compositions

Several different schemes are used to record compositions . Some are more suited to shorter touches  and some are better for long ones. Examples can be seen in The Ringing World  Diary and other ringing publications.

Call/plain each leadFigure 15.3-1 - Listing the calls (or absence of them) for each lead

P,S or B indicates whether each lead is plain, has a bob or has a single. The grouping is a reminder of the repetitive structure of the calling.
 


Each lead headFigure 15.3-2 - Writing out each lead head 

Each lead head  is written out. Those with calls are marked, – (dash) for bob and S for single. (The final lead head is not rounds, since touches with an odd number of rows  come round at hand stroke the preceding row. The lead head is then the first row after rounds.)


Lead heads with callsFigure 15.3-3 - Only writing those with a call

Only those leads where there is a call are shown. The numbers on the right indicate how many leads there are between successive calls.
 


Six numbers of calls (Caters)Six numbers of calls (Triples)Figure 15.3-4 - Writing the number of the sixes  in which calls are made.

Each number represents the number of a six at which there is a call. A bob is assumed unless the number is prefixed with an S.
 


Course-position grid (Bob Major)Figure 15.3-5 - Setting out a grid of courses and calling positions

Each line represents a course and each calling position used has a column. Calls are shown where they occur in each course. The lead heads are written out as before. Numbers are used for calls in positions where the lead repeats allowing multiple calls (B & I).
 

Course-position grid (Stedman)The second example is a twin-bob  composition. Each (twin) calling position has a column.

Some times 'five part' is abbreviated to 'x5'. Traditionally it would have said '4 times repeated'. While this is perfectly correct it is more confusing and most people have been tripped up by it at some time.
 


Course-position grid with coursing ordersFigure 15.3-6 - As above but with the coursing orders

The calls are set out as in the previous example, but instead of the course heads, coursing orders are shown in the right hand columns. There is a column for each calling position, but by convention, they are only shown where they change, ie where there is a call.
 


Clock face tapping15.4 Clock face tapping

Figure 15.4

The relationship between the coursing orders and individual rows lends itself to a mechanistic procedure to enable someone to tap out the rows of a plain hunt. Learning the pattern below would be much easier for most people than remembering all the rows or transposing them mentally as they go along.
 


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