Ding Dong

Thanks to one of my geeky obsessions, I've been pointed at another: change ringing.

If you've ever heard the phrase "ringing the changes" on something, this is where it comes from.  Basically, you've got a bunch of bells, each with one person operating it, and they're rung in sequences that are determined by, basically, mathematical formulas.  You don't have to have printed music once you know the formula, because it's a simple matter of knowing the pattern, knowing that on this repeat, you ring your bell at a particular place in the sequence.  There are names for different kinds of patterns and all sort of cool stuff, and if I could just get hold of some info on what the names of different patterns mean I'd be all set.

Not that there seems to be a proper change-ringing tower along here, and even if there were I wouldn't have time to join it.  But the concept's fascinating. 

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