Tuning forks.

[Richard Offen]

> 
> "The difference between a ring tuned with forks and one tuned with 
an
> electronic device is pure nostalgia!"
> 
> Then please explain why the glorious sound of rings like Chewton 
Mendip,
> Clerkenwell,Wimborne, Truro, Beverley, Worcester etc and the 
immediate
> post war rings at Jewry, St Nicks,Liverpool,Evesham, Cripplegate, 
Bow is
> lacking in all the new peals over the past 30 years?  People are 
even
> reverting back to 'Gillett' profiles in an effort to try and 
squeeze some
> reasonable sound out! 
> There was an interesting Reith lecture on radio 4 on Good Friday 
morning
> entitled 'In the beginning was sound'.  It was given by Daniel 
Barenboim
> who argued that music lies at the heart of what it is to be human.  
He
> also went on to try and rescue 'the neglected sense - the ear'.


You need to get out a bit more Jim!   

The are loads of examples of superb rings cast in the last 20 or 30 
years (electronic frequency measuring devices have been around that 
long!) by both our British foundries - can't say I've ever been over 
impressed by the work of our Dutch friends!   

I'm not going to bore the members of this list with a procession of 
place names of place where there are excellent modern rings, but, 
having just been visiting my daughter in Helmsley, North Yorkshire 
(sadly, no ringing this week because it was Holy Week), I am reminded 
of the modern Taylor eight there, which would surely rate highly on 
anyone's list as a wonderfully fruity and pleasing sound.   Also, 
ignoring the four trebles, the back twelve at the Bullring hit the 
spot for me too.  Even David Potter told me he was impressed with them
(gasp!); to use his words, they are "rich and warm sounding".   
Personal choices and I am sure that there would be those who wouldn't 
agree with me on these two, there are many more to choose from!

As David Bryant says, it's not just the bells that make a good ring, 
tower acoustics play a huge part.   Perhaps acoustics aren't what 
they used to be either!

You say no one can tune a ring by looking at dials, I would suggest 
that no one can tune a ring simply by looking at the calibration 
figure on a tuning fork either.   As Mr Bryant says, ultimately it's 
the tuner's ears that are the final judge (I know this to be the case 
at both foundries) ...perhaps modern day tuner's ears, like modern 
day rings, aren't what they used to be!

R