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
1—3—
-1—3–
–1-3—
—1-3–
–1—3-
—1—3
—-1-3-
—–1-3
—-1-3-
—–1-3
——13
——31
——13
——31
——31
——13
——31
——13
—–1-3
—-1-3-
—–1-3
—-1-3-
—1—3
–1—3-
—1-3–
–1-3—
-1—3–
1—3— 3: end of back­work & 5–6 down dodge
-1-3—- York­shire places down – until you pass the treble
1-3—– (dodge, place, place, dodge)
1–3—- (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!
-3–1—
3—-1– lead and dodge
3—1—
-3—1–
3—–1-
-3—–1
–3—1- York­shire 3–4 places up
—3—1
–3—-1
—3–1-
—3—1
–3—1-
–3–1–
—31—
–3–1–
—31—
—13— and pass the treble – treble bob at the back
–1–3–
—1–3-
–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
-1–3—
–1–3–
—13—
–1-3—
—1-3–
—-13–
—-31–
—-13–
—-31– and pass below the treble
—3–1- ‘first half of frontwork’
–3—-1
-3—-1-
3——1
-3—–1
3—–1-
3——1
-3—-1-
3—-1–
-3–1—
-3—1–
3—1—
3–1—-
-31—–
3–1—-
-31—– pass above the treble
-13—– dodge 5–6 and 1 & 2 at the back
1–3—-
-1–3—
1—-3–
1—3— (become 5ths place bell)

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

-1–3—
1–3—-
-13—– pass below the treble
-31—–
3–1—- ‘2nd half of the frontwork’
-31—–
3–1—-
3—1—
-3—1–
-3–1—
3—-1–
-3—-1-
3——1
3—–1-
-3—–1
3——1
-3—-1-
–3—-1
—3–1-
—-31– pass above the treble – York­shire places 5–6 up
—-13–
—-31–
—-13–
—1-3–
–1-3—
—13—
–1–3–
-1–3—
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
—1–3-
–1–3–
—13—
—31— York­shire places 3–4 down
–3–1–
—31—
–3–1–
–3—1-
—3—1
—3–1-
–3—-1
—3—1
–3—1-
-3—–1 dodge and lead
3—–1-
-3—1–
3—1—
3—-1–
-3–1—
–31—- York­shire places 3–4 up
–13—-
–31—-
–13—-
-1-3—-
1-3—–
-13—–
1–3—-
1-3—– (become 3rds place bell)

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