[r-t] Composing spliced treble-dodging major

[Philip Earis]

Hi people, William Dawson has asked that I forward this email onto this 
list. I've recommended to him that he reads Leary's book (Handbook of 
Composition, John R Leary, £5.50 from 
http://www.cccbr.org.uk/pubs/ccpb.php). Does anyone want to write a guide to 
composing spliced treble-dodging major on here?



> I am William Dawson, son of Fiona and Philip at Welton and currently a
student
> in Edinburgh. Recently I have been dabbling in composing (it seemed the
next
> logical step!) and have got stuck. I've been asking around and I have been
> pointed in your direction, hence this email.
>
> I've done various exercises with the standard 8 such as getting them round
at
> the snaps in as fewer changes as possible (I was also challenged to get 8
> spliced round at the handstroke snap without any 87s at back which was
also
> fine), but now I have moved onto quarter peal compositions (getting bands
for
> quarters rather than peals in Scotland is much easier and I obviously want
to
> ring them!).
>
> I can easily come up with a composition that has the correct number of
changes
> and doesn't come round inbetween. The only way I've made true compositions
is
> when computer program a ringing friend wrote for me, tells me there are no
> repeated changes. If it fails, I start again in this trial and error
fashion.
>
> So my problem is that I have no idea if my composition is false until I
put it
> in the computer. This seems very inefficient. Obivously I check my
coursing
> orders - and if any are repeated then I check that its at a different part
of
> the method. Recently I've been writing out the lead ends of every lead, to
> check that none of those are repeated or that rounds hasn't just come up
or
> will come up at the snap leads.
>
> I think my problem is internal falseness? Is there a way of knowing when
two
> lead ends will contain the same row. I appreciate there are method groups
that
> mean something to someone, but not to me and I have failed to find any
> infomation on this. Is there any good book or website that can get me
started?
>
> In the meantime I have managed to compose quarters of a single non
standard 8
> Surprise Major. A 1250 of Ipswich and a 1280 of something else (I've
forgotten
> which one). I've been in India this past six weeks and done some more in
my
> spare time: A 1280 of Edinburgh and a 1280 Tavistock but I have no idea if
they
> are true at all, hence my question.
>
> Will this apply to spliced as well, or shall I just steer clear of that? I
also
> have a composition for a 1280 of Uxbridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge
and
> Rutland spliced in a nice 4 part - again it is more than likely to be
false
> (because all my nice ones are!). None of the lead ends are repeated but I
am
> not looking forward to getting home this evening and the computer telling
me it
> is false. The same composition also works for Double Dublin, Uxbridge,
> Superlative, Cambridge and Rutland because a bobbed glasgow lead is the
same as
> a bobbed superlative lead.
>
> These were just for a bit of fun - I am master of the University of
Edinburgh
> Guild of Change Ringers and we have excellent links with Durham University
> Society of Change Ringers. Every course in the composition spells out
either
> UEGCR or DUSCR.
>
> So basically can you point me to a good (readable!) book or give me some
> pointers yourself on method types and internal falseness if that is what I
need
> to know about?
>
> Thank you
>
> William
>
>