Starting to call touches of St Clement's Minor
The position in which you pass the treble relates to the subsequent dodge in the same way
as it does in Plain Bob Minor:
Pass treble
Dodge to make
(on way out)
1-2
2-3
Make 2nd place
(and lead again)
4 - 3 up
3-4
6 - 5 up
4-5
5 - 6 down
5-6
3 - 4 down
However, the dodges occur in the reverse order ie the cycle of work goes round the opposite
way:
This has to be kept in mind when calling a touch. Calling a pair of bobs in Plain Bob may, for
example, cause you to run in twice, but if you run in at the first of a pair of bobs in
St Clement's you will make the bob at the second one.
Experience in calling Plain Bob can be confusing when first calling St Clement's. A frequently
used touch of Plain Bob is to call yourself to 'run in, run out and make the bob'. This will also
work in St Clement's but will look different. In Plain Bob, after calling yourself to run in you
will be making the 3-4 down dodge at the next lead end. In St Clement's, after calling
yourself to run in you will make the 3-4 up dodge at the next lead end and will make the 3-4
down dodge at the last lead end before your next Bob call. It works similarly with running out
and making 2nds place. It can be disconcerting at first but you will get used to it quickly.
Getting used to it too quickly though can lead to mistakes in your calling later.
So here are some short touches to try. Touches 1 and 2 are very short but can be doubled in
length with a pair of singles. Touch 3 is a bob course (a bob is called at every lead end). If
you call by the work of the tenor then touch 4 should be the easiest to start with as the tenor
is the observation bell. If you call by the leads, there is a repeating pattern in touches 4 and
9 and they also come round at the final bob.
Although touches 9 to 12 are longer than two courses (120 changes) I've included them here
because they are so useful. Touch 9 is particularly useful as bell 4 is unaffected until the last
call that brings the touch round. In touch 10, bell 2 is unaffected until it makes the bob at the
last call and goes into the front work for the last lead. Touches 11 and 12 could not be much
simpler to call from the tenor!
Touch
number
Number of
changes
Calling
by lead
If called
from the tenor
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
48
48
60
120
120
120
120
120
144
144
144
144
B-B-B-B
BBBBB
- - - BB - - - BB
- - BB - - - BB - BB - - - BB - BB - - - BB - - BBB - - BBB - ---B---B---B
--B---B---B-B---B---B-B---B---B---
IW
OH
I4OWH
WHWH
4OOW
OW4O
I4HI
I4OI4O
W4H
4HW
OOO
III
*
Key: W=Wrong (5-6 up)
4=4ths / Make the Bob
O=Run Out
I=Run In
H=Home (5-6 down)
* The tenor (bell 6) is the observation bell (unaffected by the calls) in this touch.
If you have previously called 'In, Out and Make it' for Plain Bob Minor, touch 8 should look
familiar. Notice, though, that it is a two-part calling and that the calls go round in the opposite
direction.
The bells are transposed in this way for the three types of lead:
Next, here are some short touches using just singles:
Touch Number of Calling
number changes
by lead
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
72
96
96
108
108
108
120
120
120
120
120
120
SSSSSS
-S-S-S-S
S-S-S-S- SS - SS - SS
S - SS - SS - S
SS - SS - SS ----S----S
---S----S--S----S--S----S--S----S---- - - SS - - - SS
If called
from the tenor
3WH3WH
2W3H
3H2W
2442WH
3H3H3H
3W3W3W
HH
WW
43
22
34
WHWH
#
#
#
*
*
*
*
Key: W=Wrong (5-6 up)
4=4ths
3=Make 3rds
2=Make 2nds (unaffected)
H=Home (5-6 down)
* The tenor (bell 6) is the observation bell in this touch
# The tenor is not involved with the front work in these touches.
There are many more than these and if you know a short touch of Plain Bob that use singles
only it will also work with St Clement's, though the effect of the calls will be somewhat
different.
To show how they work, I have written out some mixed short touches of St Clement's:
This is a handy little
touch of just 72 changes:
S
S
B
B
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
4
2
5
3
4
2
3
6
4
2
6
5
3
4
2
5
3
5
3
4
5
3
6
4
2
6
5
6
5
3
6
4
2
6
Bob touch number 1 can
be doubled from 48 to 96
changes by the use of
two singles:
1 2 3 4 5 6
B 1 6 4 2 3 5
1 2 6 5 4 3
S 1 5 3 2 6 4
1 2 5 4 3 6
B 1 6 4 2 5 3
1 2 6 3 4 5
S 1 3 5 2 6 4
1 2 3 4 5 6
And this is another touch
of only 96 changes:
S
B
S
B
S
B
S
B
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
4
5
4
6
4
3
4
2
3
6
2
3
5
2
6
5
3
4
2
4
5
4
6
4
3
4
5
3
6
2
3
5
2
6
5
6
5
3
6
2
3
5
2
6
These two-part callings are of 144 changes each:
B
B
S
B
B
S
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
6
5
6
5
4
2
6
5
6
5
3
2
3
4
2
3
6
5
4
3
2
4
6
5
3
4
2
6
5
4
2
3
2
6
5
3
2
4
5
3
4
2
3
6
5
4
3
2
4
6
5
6
5
3
4
2
3
6
5
4
3
2
4
6
B
S
B
B
B
S
B
B
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
6
2
5
3
6
2
4
2
5
3
4
2
3
4
6
2
4
5
3
6
4
2
6
5
3
4
2
5
3
5
3
6
2
5
3
5
3
4
5
3
4
6
2
4
5
3
6
4
2
6
5
6
5
3
4
6
2
4
5
3
6
4
2
6