Hexham Surprise Minor

About Hexham Surprise Minor

Hexham Surprise Minor is simple lead end variation of Surfleet Surprise Minor.

Surprise Minor methods are worth ringing in their own right. However, the value in tackling Surfleet Surprise lies in the disciplines necessary to conquer the work under the treble, it provides practise at leading wrong.

Thorough familiarity with Surfleet S. is essential as a pre-cursor to learning Hexham.

Method Structure.

Place Notation:
X 36 X 14 X 12 X 36 . 14 X 12 . 56, 16 Bob 14, Single 1456.

Grid:

Diagram: Hexham Surprise Minor, plain course, change-rows and grid.

Plain Course structure
Hexham has the same structure in the 1-2 section and 3-4 section as Cambridge.
The 5-6 sections (linked by 5-6 at the half lead), are a messy combination of backward leading in 1-2, and backward dodging in 3-4.

Learning Hexham Surprise Minor.

The approach

Skills learning is a progressive process.
Learn some, practice with a simulator, learn some more, get good enough to perform in a band.
Learn some more, practice with both a simulator and a band, publish your success.

The difficult part with Surfleet is learning enough to get going on a simulator if you have never learned to lead back and hand. The route to success, like Kent places, rests on thoroughly learning the spacings of the pairs as they pass through 1-2-3-4 under the treble.

It is crucial to put in enough time to genuinely know the pairs; knowing the blue line for one bell and "winging it" will not work for Surfleet Surprise.

The Structure

Hexham Surprise Minor - the rules
Ring Surfleet over Primrose.

Double Blue Lines

Hexham Surprise Minor, 1-2

Diagram: Hexham Surprise Minor, 1-2.

Hexham Surprise Minor, 3-4

Diagram: Hexham Surprise Minor, 3-4.

Hexham Surprise Minor, 5-6

Diagram: Hexham Surprise Minor, 5-6.

Artefacts

The Blue Line features - Stedman whole turn, leading wrong, dodging wrong, contiguous places are just a distraction to the handbell ringer.

Place Notation and Grid

The grid is a usful reminder of the structure of the method.

Pictels

This method does not lend itself to Pictels except as per Cambridge S Minor adjacent to the treble leading.

Ringing Hexham Surprise Minor.

Track the treble

Awareness of the position of the treble is a key skill for most bellringing methods, and a significant help in ringing Surprise Minor methods. Some hints and tips for developing the skill are given in the techniques section.

The work of the treble is the key to Section by Section learning and ringing.

Get into ringing Hexham by ringing Surfleet S. and Primrose S..
Conquer Hexham by ringing a lot of it and hence acquiring the skill of seeing how each pair relates to the other pairs.

Place Notation Elements

The method contains 36, 14, 12, 56 and .14x12.56.12x14. For the novice "Hexham in hand" this will be a challenge.

Place Bells, Pivot Leads, and Staging posts

Place bells and pivot leads are as per Cambridge.
There are no restful staging posts until you can ring the method with confidence.

Awareness of other bells

The pairs fit together nicely in the work underneath the treble.

Coursing Order in Hexham Surprise Minor

Hexham Surprise Minor preserves natural coursing order better than Cambridge under the treble, but this is of little immediate value as that's the challenging part of the method.

Ringing the Method

Ring Hexham Surprise Minor because it's a surprise method with the added complexity that surprise brings to the ringing, and the added extra complexity of the method structure. There is much to be learned about the learning process.

Bobs and Singles.

Calls See Cambridge

Touches of Hexham Surprise Minor.

See Primrose S.