IMAGINE

Change ringing is a quintessentially British sound that attracts people from all walks of life. It has been described as the ultimate team sport, a physical exercise, a musical concert, a mathematical discipline and a social activity all rolled into one. Ringer training even shares the same coaching and team building techniques that transformed the British cycling team prior to the Beijing Olympics.

‘‘You feel like one note in a very large instrument.” Karen Lee, 15

Reproducing Imagine on church bells presents an enormous technical and creative challenge. As Sam Austin says “it’s near impossible to control a bell accurately enough to ring a tune. Bell ringing is very different from other types of musical rendition because bell ringers don’t actually follow notes on a score. There is also usually a five second delay between pulling the rope and hearing the bells.” In order to peal Imagine, the bells will be upturned and the ropes tied directly to the clappers rather than the wheels in order to eliminate the time delay.