Thinking allowed

learning Yorkshire Surprise Major

Home­work time again. This time we’ve been told to learn York­shire (York­shire Sur­prise Major) for next week. It’s been a while since I set out to learn a new meth­od – per­haps it’s becom­ing easi­er. We shall see.

York­shire is sim­il­ar in parts to Cam­bridge (the meth­od, not the geo­graphy, that is). Where­as Cam­bridge con­tains ‘Cam­bridge places’, York­shire has a short­er form ‘York­shire places’ or ‘short places’ of dodge, make places, dodge (where­as in Cam­bridge it is: dodge, make places, dodge, make places, dodge). Places are made in 3–4 and in 5–6 up and down. Here for example is how you ring York­shire places in 3–4
up:

-x——
x—– York­shire 3–4 places up
x—-
x—–
x—-
x—-
x—–
x—–
x—-
x—–
x—-
—-x— and carry on up

The back­work is identic­al to that in Cam­bridge – and indeed, York­shire is identic­al to Cam­bridge if you are above the treble. This means that whenev­er you pass above the treble you do whatever you would have done in Cam­bridge if you had passed the treble at that point, and this con­tin­ues until you pass below the treble. Now if only I could ring Cam­bridge by the treble this might be some help!

York­shire also includes the front­work of Cam­bridge, but it is split into two sep­ar­ate halves, and you don’t get to dodge or make seconds over the treble in either half.

First thing is to try and remem­ber the order of work, which looks like this, assum­ing we are ringing the 2.

dodge down with the treble
treble bob up
triple-dodge in 5–6 up
2 & 1 at the back (double dodge 7–8 up, lie, single dodge 7–8 down)
dodge 5–6 down

straight down to the lead
second half of front­work (dodge down, lead, make 2nds, dodge down, dodge up)
straight up

York­shire places in 5–6 up
treble bob at the back (dodge 7–8 up, lie, dodge 7–8 down)
York­shire places 3–4 down
dodge and lead
York­shire places 3–4 up

dodge 5–6 up
backwork
dodge 5–6 down

York­shire places 3–4 down
lead and dodge
York­shire places 3–4 up
treble bob at the back
York­shire places 5–6 down

first half of the front­work (dodge down, dodge up, make 2nds, lead, dodge up)

dodge 5–6 up
1 & 2 at the back
triple-dodge 5–6 down
treble bob down to the lead
dodge 1–2 up with the treble
make 2nds place

Armed with this inform­a­tion we can write out a plain course of York­shire, here giv­en for the 3 …


1-3—–
1-3—–

-1-3—- 3: back­work, as in Cambridge
13
-13
1-3
1-3
13-
13
—-1-3-
—–1-3
—-1-3-
—–1-3
——13
——31
——13
——31
——31
——13
——31
——13
—–1-3
—-1-3-
—–1-3
—-1-3-
13
13-
1-3
1-3
-13
13— 3: end of back­work & 5–6 down dodge
-1-3—- York­shire places down – until you pass the treble
1-3—– (dodge, place, place, dodge)
13—- (become 4ths place bell)

-13—– 3rds place
1-3—–
-1-3—- 4ths place
13—-
31—- & dodge with the treble
13—-
31—- 3: pass the treble here – stop ringing Cambridge!
-31
3—-1– lead and dodge
31
-31
3—–1-
-3—–1
31- York­shire 3–4 places up
31
3—-1
31-
31
31-
31
31
31
31
13— and pass the treble – treble bob at the back
13
13-
1—-3
-1—-3-
1——3
-1—–3
1—–3-
1——3 (become 8ths place bell)

-1—-3-
1—-3– York­shire places 5–6 down
-13
13
13
1-3
1-3
—-13
—-31
—-13
—-31– and pass below the treble
31- ‘first half of frontwork’
3—-1
-3—-1-
3——1
-3—–1
3—–1-
3——1
-3—-1-
3—-1
-31
-31
31
31—-
-31—–
31—-
-31—– pass above the treble
-13—– dodge 5–6 and 1 & 2 at the back
13—-
-13
1—-3
13— (become 5ths place bell)

-13
1—–3-
-1—–3
13-
13
1—-3
13-
—-13
—–13-
—-13
—–13-
—–31- pass below the treble
—-31 triple dodge 5–6 down
—–31-
—-31
—–3-1
—-3-1-
—–3-1
—-3-1-
3-1– dodge 3–4 down
3-1
3-1
3-1
-3-1—- dodge 1–2 down
3-1—–
-3-1—-
3-1—–
31—— dodge 1–2 up with the treble
13——
31——
13—— make 2nds place
13—— (become 2nds place bell)

31—— dodge down with the treble
13——
31——
3-1—– dodge up
-3-1—-
3-1—–
-3-1—-
3-1— dodge 3–4 up
3-1
3-1
3-1
—-3-1- triple dodge 5–6 up
—–3-1
—-3-1-
—–3-1
—-31
—–31-
—-31
—–31-
—–13- pass above the treble; 2 & 1 at the back
—-13
—–13-
—-13
13-
1—-3
13
13-
-1—–3
1—–3-
-13
13
1—-3– (become 6ths place bell)

-13
13—-
-13—– pass below the treble
-31—–
31—- ‘2nd half of the frontwork’
-31—–
31—-
31
-31
-31
3—-1
-3—-1-
3——1
3—–1-
-3—–1
3——1
-3—-1-
3—-1
31-
—-31– pass above the treble – York­shire places 5–6 up
—-13
—-31
—-13
1-3
1-3
13
13
-13
1—-3
-1—-3- treble bob at the back
1——3
1—–3- (become 7ths place bell)

-1—–3
1——3
-1—-3-
1—-3
13-
13
13
31— York­shire places 3–4 down
31
31
31
31-
31
31-
3—-1
31
31-
-3—–1 dodge and lead
3—–1-
-31
31
3—-1
-31
31—- York­shire places 3–4 up
13—-
31—-
13—-
-1-3—-
1-3—–
-13—–
13—-
1-3—– (become 3rds place bell)

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