Composition Styles

Virtual Belfry supports the common styles of composition, setting them out in ways that closely resemble their normal written form. This page provides some examples. The online help that is supplied with the program describes the various styles in full detail to enable you to enter your own compositions.

Simple

The simplest style is little more than a string of calls. It can be extended by the use of brackets and multipliers, and splicing is also supported by the use of method identifiers. (The tilde character - '~' - separates calls from method letters in spliced compositions.)

160 Plain Bob Major (W 3B M H)
-pp---pp--

168 Grandsire Triples
6[ps]

80 Spliced Plain and Little Bob Major
-p- ~ PLP 2 part

Lead per Line

A widely used style, particularly for short touches. Again, brackets and other techniques can extend this style to allow greater flexibility and complexity.

127 Erin Triples

5040 Grandsire Triples (A.S.Burbidge)

72 Spliced Plain and Little Bob Minor

5040 Stedman Triples (N.J.Diserans)

720 Spliced Kent and Oxford Treble Bob Minor

Course per Line (using labelled call positions)

A style commonly used for longer touches, quarter peals and peals.

1264 Plain Bob Major

5056 Plain Bob Major (J.Pritchard)

1250 Bristol Surprise Major

1280 Kent Treble Bob Major (with a 6th-place half-lead single)

5376 8-spliced Surprise Major (R.J.Parker)

Course per Line (using numbered call positions)

This style is very similar to the preceding one. A couple of examples should suffice:

1440 Duffield Major

1260 St. Clement's College Bob Triples