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Groth Music Handbell Frequently Asked Questions

Which Bells and How Many
How many bells you purchase is naturally determined by the number of bell ringers in your group and by your budget. Keep in mind that you'll need more bells than the number of bell ringers. The reason for this is that there are few songs that will use all of the bells. As a general rule, you'll want to have at least twice the number of bells than the number of bell ringers. For example, if you have 12 bell ringers, and you're playing a song that only uses 5 of the 8 notes in an RB108 set, in order for each bell ringer to be involved, you'd need to have 3 sets of RB108.

Melody Method Description
Playing the melodies using the handbells or deskbells is done by handing out one or more bells to each ringer and instructing them when to ring their bells as part of the melody. This is done one of several ways: For the very youngest of bell ringers (preschool through early elementary) you may want to use the Melody Cards LRMC96. By preparing a stack of cards in advance, you'll be able to cue the melody notes one at a time. For more experienced bell ringers, you can photocopy the bell music (you are granted the rights to copy the music for the use of individual bell ringers) and then mark the notes with a highlighter. Prepare a separate sheet of music for each bell that is part of the song you're performing. You may want to use colored markers.

Chord Method Description
In order to introduce your bell ringers to a variety of musical concepts, you'll want to use the chord playing method as part of your handbell experience. As a general rule, the chord method is easier, since the chords do not change as quickly as the melody notes. For the chord method, the level of difficulty is determined by the number of chords used and the speed at which they change. The chord method is achieved by gently shaking the bell back and forth. For the 8 note bell sets, you'll need the SP2389 set of 7 cards for directing the chords. For chromatic bell sets, you'll need the SP2390 set of 36 cards. In order to make your job as a director much easier, you will want to purchase the LRCH8 card holder. The chord method can be used with any music which has the chord symbols printed, including RB7014, RB7015, SP2391, SP2392 and SP2394. You may also use your own music, as long as the chords are major, minor or dominant 7th. Make sure to determine which chords are used in the song and hand out the bells which are part of those chords.

Which Books For Which Ages
The chart below will help you to choose materials that are appropriate for your age group and experience level. You should use a mixture of melody method and chord method playing in order to introduce both musical concepts. Keep in mind that if your school or church has been using the bells for a while, you will want to choose more advanced materials in order to challenge the students.

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