The other thing I love about Christmas is the sound of ringing bells. A few years ago, while living in South Dakota, I started playing hand bells with a group at my church. Though I had taken piano lessons for several years and knew how to read music, I had never picked up a hand bell before. The biggest difference between playing piano and playing the hand bells is that with piano you're an individual, with hand bells you're part of a larger group and everyone has to work together as a team to make the music "work." (And at times, it can be hard work!)
(This is me ringing alongside my friends Karady and Nancy)This past spring my church here in Phoenix purchased a used set of hand bells and I've enjoyed being part of the first group to ring them. We rang several Christmas pieces this past Sunday and the weather was nice enough that we could play outside!
Anyone who loves music should try their hand at hand bells (pun intended). There's really only one thing you need to know in order to play--you need to know how to COUNT! Being able to read music is helpful, but not required since most people mark the notes they're responsible for with a highlighter or colored pencil. Having a sense of musicality is also helpful, but not necessary (it's helpful for when you get lost in the music and you're waiting for your neighbor to whisper the measure number!). But being able to count is a necessity--your assigned bells play at different times, in different measures, and you need to be able to follow along with the beats!
I love the challenge of playing hand bells. I love the fact that I have to let go of my perfectionist tendencies when I play--not only do I make mistakes, but my fellow ringers also make mistakes and I've had to learn to let go and just have fun! Wrong notes can very clearly be heard when playing bells but the show must go on!I also love that like all music, every hand bell composition has some sort of musical story, or rather, a musical journey--a journey that I enjoy traveling with my bell ringing colleagues.
(My nephew Carter enjoyed "directing" the bells, and niece Halle had fun dancing to the music!)
2 comments:
That sounds like SO much fun! You always do the coolest things! Congrats on finishing your MASTERS! That is super duper exciting! We miss you TONS!
I would love to listen to your bell ringing some time...it sounds very fun! And did you know that I took piano lessons for more than a decade? Perhaps I could have a future in bell ringing some day?
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