Concordia University, Wisconsin, offers a Master of Church Music Degree. One option is to take it with a handbell emphasis; Dr. John Behnke is the faculty member in charge of the program. Many of the finest handbell musicians I know have completed the course, including Emily Li, Michael Glasgow, Linda Lamb, Sandy Eithun, and Alan Reese. Al, who is a handbell soloist and the Music Director of the Virginia Handbell Consort, did his master’s project on solo ringing, and has kindly given permission for me to share it with you here. Continue reading Master’s project on solo ringing by Alan Reese
Polishing supplies
At least once a year, polish the outer castings of your bells with polishing cream to remove spots and other marks left behind during routine wipedowns. To save time in preparing for this annual ritual, I store most of my polishing supplies together in plastic boxes. Some of the items, like a vacuum cleaner, are obviously used for other purposes during the rest of the year. If you’re preparing for your first polishing session, here’s what I suggest you gather. Click here for this checklist as a downloadable PDF: Polishing supplies checklist Continue reading Polishing supplies
Transcribing vs. arranging
Someone asked recently about the difference between transcribing and arranging, and whether a copyright holder’s permission is needed to perform, say, a piano piece on handbells. These are excellent questions, and I’d like to share some thoughts from my research on copyright, as well as my experience requesting transcription rights from publishers. As stated before, I’m not an attorney, and you need to seek qualified legal advice if you intend to rely on it. However, the need for permission is clearly spelled out in the copyright law. Continue reading Transcribing vs. arranging
Choreography exercises
Doing exercises will help you learn solo handbell choreography (sometimes called “blocking.”) That, in turn, will free you to explore works not specifically published for solo handbells. You can create your own exercises by writing out a 1 octave scale, both ascending and descending, in any key. Try several different approaches to choreographing the scale, document it with solo notation, then try another key. You can also do this with a phrase of any handbell solo, or any musical line within your bell range. Continue reading Choreography exercises
Elements of a good first solo
I’ve been thinking lately about what makes a good solo piece for a beginner, especially a first solo. I see many handbell soloists dive into repertoire too quickly and ambitiously. It’s time well spent to solidify skills and do choreography exercises before applying them to a performance piece, and to perform simple pieces before tackling hard ones. I’ve developed some choreography exercises that you will find here: Choreography exercises. When picking a performance piece, I suggest using published repertoire at first. There will be plenty of time later to develop your own arrangements, which adds a level of complexity to the task. Continue reading Elements of a good first solo
Professionalism
When Dean and Paul interviewed me on The Handbell Podcast, they asked what I would change about the handbell community if I could. I responded that handbell musicians often ask the wrong question. Instead of wondering how we can attract more people to our concerts, let’s consider how we can become musicians who deserve a large audience. A reader asked me to elaborate. Continue reading Professionalism
Interlocked six-in-hand
Holding three bells in each hand (called six-in-hand or 6IH) can solve certain ringing problems. For example, you may need to play an ostinato (repeating pattern) with more bells than you can comfortably play with four-in-hand, even traveling. Become proficient in four-in-hand before attempting six-in-hand. Having that experience will help you master the setup with an additional bell in hand, and you’ll find more uses for four-in-hand, anyway. It can take several months to master six-in-hand, though I hope the suggestions below, as well as the video tutorial, will shorten your learning curve. Continue reading Interlocked six-in-hand
Table covers – making your own – separate top/skirt
See the other articles in this series, especially Table covers – choices, which discusses the most common fabrics used. Also search online for articles and videos about working with your chosen fabric, as well as any sewing techniques you want to brush up on.
Separating your table covers into top and skirt portions facilitates handling and storing large covers, practicing on your performance table tops without the skirts, and laundering the top when needed (or even shaking away dust and lint). The classic attachment mechanism is Velcro. However, this isn’t required by law; you might try snap tape, for instance, or hooks and eyes, or even pins. Continue reading Table covers – making your own – separate top/skirt
Slideshows
For our recent solo concert, I created my first ever slideshow to accompany a piece, and someone requested I write about it. If projection equipment is available, a slideshow is an excellent way to add variety to a program, almost like adding another instrument. I first started thinking about my slideshow a year ago. I had hoped to present it last spring, but that didn’t work out. The delay allowed me to prepare properly, and even to take some digital photos with the slideshow in mind. Continue reading Slideshows
Table covers – making your own – gathered skirts
See the other articles in this series, especially Table covers – choices, which discusses the most common fabrics used. Also search online for articles and videos about working with your chosen fabric, as well as any sewing techniques you want to brush up on.
Some background: My sewing machine is a Pfaff model 6122 with a walking foot (helpful, but not essential). I have many years of experience sewing, having made my own clothes in high school, plus a decade of making things for the boat, using heavy fabrics without patterns. I would say this project requires a medium-duty machine and sewing skills beyond basic, but much less than expert. A quilter used to dealing with large pieces of fabric would have no trouble. The exception would be working with real velvet (instead of a substitute like velour); I feel prior experience with that fabric is needed for such a large project. Continue reading Table covers – making your own – gathered skirts