Earis 23-spliced Ringing Homepage      Email me

   I've created a cyclic 7-part composition of 23 spliced surprise major using some of my favourite major methods. The composition is given below, whilst a .pdf containing the method grids can be viewed here. The method blue-lines can be viewed here. A peal of composition 1.67 was rung at Spitalfields in November 2005 and can be viewed here. ropes
5152 Spliced Surprise Major (23m)
version 1.67
PJE

 12345678 A  Cumberland Row S
 13527486 L- Malpas S
 14235678 A  Anodyne S
 12547386 B  Yorkshire S
 17856234 A  Lancashire S
 18673542 H  Essex S
 13462857 F- Lessness S
 18634725 B- Superlative S
 16425873 F  Richmond S
 12684357 F- Northampton S
 13826745 M- Ditchling S
 12386745 A  Tellurium S
 13624857 C  Cassiobury S
 15748623 E  Silchester S
 16435278 K  Kalashnikov S
 18273564 F  London S
 17852436 E- Cray S
 16457382 M  Yeading S
 15634278 M  Double Dublin S
 13526847 M  Belfast S
 12385764 E  Thetford S
 17842635 G  Gimp S
 18273456 M- Bristol S
 17823456

The peal has much more of the runs music than any other comparable (ie 
cyclic part-end 23-spliced) composition, loads more than cyclic Chandlers, 
Pearce's etc; indeed 50% more than the next highest-scoring composition 
(David Hull's cyclic). And the added benefit of no Stonebow! Here's the 
musical analysis:

            ....5678  ....8765  5678....  8765....  Total
Earis's          19      17       15        16       67
Hull's           13      13        6         8       40
Pearce's         12       7        9         8       36
Cyclic Smiths    18      11        5         2       36
Cyclic Chandlers 18       8        1         4       31


Of the 'unfamiliar' methods:

Anodyne = &56.3.56.4-2-36-4-5-56-5, 12
Kalashnikov = &56.34.5.4.5.2.56.3-4-5-4.56.1, 18
Gimp = &56-5.4-5-3-2-5-4-3, 18

Silchester is 2nds-place Buckfastleigh
Thetford is Moulton over the treble.
Cumberland Row is a super and fairly new David Hull method
Ditchling and Lancashire are both easy double methods
Tellurium is almost Cornwall under the treble


For alternative method options, generally:

Belfast may be replaced by Chertsey/Bristol
Superlative may be replaced by Dorchester/Jersey/Pudsey
Northampton may be replaced by Cornwall
London can be replaced by -34-4.5-56.3.4-4.5.2.56-1 (gains 2 runs)
London can be replaced by -3.56.4-5.2.36-4-5-56-1 (gains 3 runs)
Cray can be replaced by 34-3.6-5-3.2-2.5-56-1 (gains 2 runs)
Kalashnikov may be replaced by Shoesmith Hall (better but loses 3 runs)
Gimp may be replaced by Primrose (more familiar but loses 3 runs)

Using the above substitutions for London and Cray, the musical
analysis becomes:

            ....5678  ....8765  5678....  8765....  Total
Earis 1.72       19      18       19        16       72

The number of backstroke 87s also increases (from 4 to 14). The number
of runs of each type can be pushed up to 80 and beyond with further 
method substitutions, but at the loss of some familiarity. One notable
example is given below:

5152 Spliced Surprise Major (23m)
version 1.83
PJE

 12345678 A  Aardvark S
 13527486 L- Malpas S
 14235678 A  Anode S
 12547386 B  Yorkshire S
 17856234 A  Lancashire S
 18673542 H  Essex S
 13462857 F- Victoria Bar S
 18634725 B- Superlative S
 16425873 F  Richmond S
 12684357 F- Northampton S
 13826745 M- Ditchling S
 12386745 A  Tellurium S
 13624857 C  Cathode S
 15748623 E  Silchester S
 16435278 K  Kalashnikov S
 18273564 F  Focus S
 17852436 E- Crayfish S
 16457382 M  Mullah S
 15634278 M  Doubledublin S
 13526847 M  Monkey S
 12385764 E  Thetford S
 17842635 G  Gimpanzee S
 18273456 M- Bristol S
 17823456

Aardvark = &3-5.4-5-236-4-5.4-34.7, +12
Anode = &56.3.56.4-2-36-4-45-56.4.5, +12
Cathode = &-3-4-2-3.2-4.3-4.36.5, +12
Focus = &3.56-45-56-23-4-5-36-1, +12
Crayfish = &34-3.6-5-3.2-2.5-56-1, +12
Mullah = &34-3.6-56.2.3.4-2.5-56-3, +18
Monkey = &34-56.4-5-36.4-4.5-4-1, +18
Gimpanzee = &-56-45-56-3-2-5-4.36.5, +18

An alternative for Aardvark is &3-5.4-5-36-2-5.2.56.34.7: this is more 
static and less elegant, but gives an extra two hand-to-back wraps. 

            ....5678  ....8765  5678....  8765....  Total
Earis 1.83       20      22       22        19       83


Replacing Essex with h &-34-456-5-23-4-3.2-4.5 adds two runs
Replacing Northampton with f &-34-4-5-3.4-4.3-4-1 adds one run

Using these two substitutions, the musical analysis becomes:

            ....5678  ....8765  5678....  8765....  Total
Earis 1.86       21      22       23        20       86

Replacing Superlative with b &5-5.6.5-5.6-34-5.2.36.2.3 adds four runs
This also requires Double Dublin to be changed to m &-5-4.5.2.5.6-34-5-2-1 
and Silchester to be replaced with e &36-5.6-5-3-2-5-4.56.1

Using these three substitutions, the musical analysis becomes:

            ....5678  ....8765  5678....  8765....  Total
Earis 1.90       22      22       24        22       90


The peal was put together using Philip Saddleton's extremely powerful SCAMP software. The earliest prototype version of the composition was described in this messsage, sent to the ringing theory mailing list.