Glossary of ringing terms – R

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Words or phrases underlined are defined within the glossary. Where it assists with clarity, a definition is annotated to indicate a part of speech. (n) = noun, (vb) = verb, (adj) = adjective, (adv) = adverb. Section references refer to sections within The Tower Handbook.

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R: (= Right). An alternative name for the calling position 'home'
Radial bell frame: A bell frame with all pits arranged radially, so the bells all swing towards the centre of the tower. eg Liverpool Cathedral, Washington Cathedral (USA).
Raise: Cause a bell initially down to swing progressively higher until it can be stood.
Raise in peal: Raise all (or several) bells together while ringing rounds. The rounds will be incomplete at one stroke during the transition from one stroke to both strokes clappering.
Real double: When a double method (especially double bob) is rung with bobs at the half lead and lead.
Rear subsection: The subsection above the treble.
Recast: Cast a new bell or ring of bells using (mostly) the metal from the old bell(s).
Red zone: One of a series of zones – broad descriptions of ringing ability introduced in Simon Linford's articles Room at the Top published in The Ringing World in 2002-3. Red zone ringing notionally starts with Cambridge Surprise Minor and extends to ringing simple methods on 12. He estimated that maybe 9% of ringers are red zone ringers. See also: Green zone, Blue zone, Black zone.
Registrar: Diocesan officer (a solicitor appointed by the Bishop) to carry out routine legal work, who deals with faculty applications.
Regular coursing order: Natural coursing order
Regular method: A method with the same lead heads as Plain Bob. Obsolete term.
Rehang: Replace, renovate or repair the fittings (and possibly frame) of a ring of bells while retaining the bells themselves (possibly re-tuned and/or quarter turned).
Retune: Tune an old bell to improve its sound, or to fit more harmoniously with the other bells in thering.
Reverse: A prefix included in the name of a method (or principle). Its structure is a mirror image (first place to last place, etc) of the method with the un-prefixed name.
Reverse Bob: Reverse Plain Bob.
Reverse rounds: Rounds backwards
Rhythm: (1) The pulse of ringing created by successive blows of different bells. Perfect ringing has a completely even rhythm (allowing for open leads). Ringing nearer this ideal is of higher quality. Rhythmic imperfections of a few hundredths of a second are perceptible.
(2) A ringer's feeling for the natural swinging movement of the bell that enables sensitive and accurate control of it.
Right: (1) A place, (particularly at lead) is made right if it consists of a handstroke followed by a backstroke,
(2) An alternative name for the calling position 'home'
Right place method: A method where places are only made 'right'.
Ring: (n) A set of bells. A term used by ringers where laymen often use 'peal'.
(v) Cause a bell to swing approximately full circle – mouth up to mouth up – and back again, making it sound when the clapper catches it up on each stroke. A style distinct from chiming.
Ring down: See lower.
Ring exercise: See hand ring exercise
Ringer: One who rings bells (in full circle ringing).
Ringers' Notebook & Diary: Former name for The Ringing World Diary
Ringing: The act of ringing, the result or the associated event. eg 'the ringing was good', 'did you go to ringing?'...
Ringing by rule: Ringing a method by relying on knowledge of the structure to work out the line as you go along. For example, ringing Plain Bob by dodging when you see/hear the Treble lead or ringing Kent by making 3-4 places when you see the Treble below you. Rule based methods are designed to be rung this way.
Ringing chamber: The part of a tower where ringers stand to ring the bells. It may be on the ground floor, on a balcony overlooking the church, or higher in the tower and enclosed.
Ringing machine: An early name for a device that could sound bells in rounds or changes automatically. Early mechanical or electro-mechanical ringing machines include those built by Carter, and Woodhouse. See also simulator.
Ringing master: The most senior post in many guilds and associations, (some have a chairman or president). Where it is not the most senior post, it is usually the one with responsibility for practical ringing matters rather than organisation, Some towers have a separate ringing master, but most combine the role withTower Captain
Ringing method: Term used by Devon call change ringers to describe method ringing.
Ringing room: Ringing chamber
Ringing World, The: A weekly newspaper for ringers published on behalf of the Central Council.
Ring up: See raise
Rise: (n) The portion of a Devon style ringing performance when the bells are raised in peal. See also Top ringing and Fall
Roller bearings: Bearings with steel cylinders instead of balls. Unlike ball bearings, they cannot be self aligning.
Roller boxes: Ground pulleys
Roller coaster: A musical row used in call changes. On ten bells it is 3216549870. Eight bell versions are 32176548 and 43217658.
Roll up: A row with most of the bells, (or at least the back bells) in a familiar or musical order. The commonest are based on rounds, eg ****5678. There are several other musical combinations, for example *****468, ****5768. Roll ups can also occur 'off the front', ie 8765xxxx and so on. Plain Bob has roll ups off the back in most leads, and a conspicuous roll up when the tenor makes seconds in the plain course with 18765432. Either side of the roll ups, the bells may be heard 'getting near', though in some methods they come more suddenly.
Rope: Common abbreviation for bell rope
Rope guide: Smooth circular rings to help steady the lateral movement of the rope while ringing. They are mounted lower than the ringing room ceiling, but well above arm reach (normally attached to rods fixed across the tower).
Rope chute: (1) A vertical tube to guide the rope past obstacles on which it may otherwise catch.
(2) A sloping tube to guide the rope at an angle to the vertical. See also running board.
Rope circle: The disposition of the ropes in the ringing chamber. Most rope circles are not circular, and the ropes are not evenly spaced, but this is the ideal. A good rope circle gives all ringers comfortable space and easy visibility of the other ropes. A poor one may have ropes near to the wall, intruding clock cases, or ropes side by side in a line. In extreme cases the ropes may fall in the wrong order, may force ringers to stand between pews, etc. Most rope circles are clockwise, but a few are anti clockwise. Many ringers find this confusing (in theory it should make little difference in changes).
Ropesight: (1) The skill of deducing one's position and the position of other bells, by looking at the other ropes while ringing. Hence the ability to see what work different bells are doing.
(2) A classic textbook on bell handling and Plain Bob by J W Snowdon, 1879.
Rope too long: Too much rope between the hands and the bell, ie the grip too near the end of the rope. The arms do not rise to full extent at the end of each stroke. This condition causes poor bell control, and proneness to ringing too slowly.
Rope too short: Too little rope between the hands and the bell, ie the hands grip too far from the end of the rope. The arms are pulled excessively at the end of each stroke. This condition causes discomfort, poor bell control, and proneness to ringing too quickly.
Rotation: (1) A method whose structure is cyclic, which starts at a different point in the structure from another method, eg 'A is a rotation of B'.
(2) The process of creating such a method from another method.
(3) Superficially altering a composition by starting at a different point in the cycle.
Rotational symmetry: The symmetry of if a method that is the same if it is simultaneously reversed and rung backwards.
Round: Indication of where in the ring your bell is, eg 'round the back end'
Round block: (1) An ordered sequence of rows linked by successive changes where the final change produces the initial row of the block (the weaker meaning in common use).
(2) As above, but ending at an equivalent point in the method so that continuing to ring would repeat what has already been rung (a stronger meaning used in some references).
Rounds: (1) (n) Bells rung in a sequence of descending notes from treble to tenor, eg 123456 on six. Ringing normally starts and ends with rounds.
(2) (command) Short for go rounds.
Rounds backwards: Bells rung in a sequence of ascending notes. Sometimes used in call changes, but often modified to leave the tenor at the end, eg 76543218. The effect is similar to true rounds backwards, apart from the handstroke gap coming after instead of before the tenor.
Row: A sequence in which every bell strikes once. Also colloquially referred to as a change.
Royal: The stage name for methods with ten working bells.
Rule based method: A method whose structure is not static but varies depending on the position of specific bells, for example Dixons.
Run: A sequence of ascending or descending notes. Runs off the front or back are considered musical, eg on 8 bells, 23456***, ***123456, 5678****, ****8765.Runs may also be created by a wrap.
Run in: Hunt down for several places to lead, normally at a call and normally to lead after the treble (eg in Plain Bob at a bob, instead of dodging 3-4 down)
Run out: Hunt up for several places from lead, normally at a call and normally having been turned by the treble (eg in Plain Bob at a bob, instead of making 2nds). In many methods, the observation bell runs out at a 'before'.
Run through: Hunt through a pair of positions where other bells are working, or where you would often do something else.
Runner board: Sometimes used for slider cage.
Running board: Sloping board underneath a bell rope, used to guide it through an intervening space betweenbell chamber and ringing chamber Also called slap board.
Rutland: A right place Surprise method (London group).
RW: The Ringing World

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