Playing the piano is a challenge in and of itself. Imagine how much more difficult it would be to play only a few notes of a song and depend on other musicians to press the right keys at the right times.

The Hilltop Ringers, the hand bell choir at Bedford Presbyterian Church, have this art down to a science. Under the leadership of Barbara Flocco, the church’s music director, the ringing is fast, furious and a lot of fun.

You can see the Hilltop Ringers in action throughout the service at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, June 10. For more information on the hand bell choir, or to join, contact Flocco at bpcmusic@
bedfordpresbyterian.org.

Flocco took some time away from rehearsals to tell us how the hand bell choir got started, what kind of music the choir performs and how many notes a ringer is responsible for.

Here’s part of the conversation:

Q: What is your musical background? Have you had specific training in hand bells?

A: I have a degree in music (specifically piano) and have attended many a hand bell seminar over the past 30 years. I first rang hand bells as a teen in my own church.

Q: How did there come to be a hand bell choir at Bedford Presbyterian Church? How long has the choir been in existence?

A: The hand bells were given as a memorial gift by Doris Spurway, and a group began ringing 10 years ago. Several of our original members are still ringing with us today.

Q: What’s the minimum number of ringers needed for a hand bell choir? What’s the maximum number of ringers you can have? How many are there in the Hilltop Ringers?

A: If you have two octaves of bells, you can do with six to eight ringers. In our group, we ring four octaves of hand bells (and three octaves of choir chimes) with nine or 10 ringers, depending on the repertoire. The largest choirs may ring seven octaves and require a larger number of ringers.

Q: How many notes is each ringer responsible for? Are the notes usually consecutive notes on the scale?

A: Most ringers have at least four hand bells (two diatonic notes and their respective accidentals); however, some ring with four in hand and thus have eight bells to look after.

Q: Are there different techniques for ringing the bells?

A: The techniques for ringing are endless and varied. You have regular ringing and stopped techniques, as well as what is known as the singing bell technique, which is somewhat new to the hand bell world. The pieces we are ringing on the 10th utilize most of these techniques. Our choir is as much fun to watch as to hear.

Q: How long does it take, on average, to learn how to perform as part of a hand bell choir?

A: Each part is unique, and ringers get accustomed to the position they play. Ringing hand bells is unlike any other musical experience because you only play a few pitches and everyone is so dependent on the rest of the group for the outcome. Having a good understanding of how to execute rhythms is of utmost importance. Most of our ringers have been ringing for more than 10 years, and some have been ringing for 20 or more years, so we are blessed to have a very seasoned group.

Q: How often does the hand bell choir practice? How often does it perform?

A: We practice weekly for an hour and a half and play about once a month. This will be our last performance until September.

Q: What types of music does the hand bell choir perform? How is the music selected?

A: Hand bell music comes in all styles (liturgical, pop, jazz and classical) and all levels, from elementary to incredibly complex. Most of our ringing is geared to the liturgical theme of the day, with a special emphasis on the Christmas and Easter season. We ring all levels and many styles and collaborate with lots of different combinations of instrumentalists and singers. We love to ring with strings, brass, organ, piano, choirs, harp, flutes, oboes – you name it. We’ve even rung with bagpipes and attend hand bell conferences near and far.

Q: What is the most complicated song the hand bell choir has performed?

A: I think it must have been our closer for last year’s season. We combined ringing with lots of body percussion and mallet magic. There was no gum-chewing that day. This year, one of our pieces is very demanding and requires lots of techniques at a fast tempo. It causes a huge adrenaline rush every time we rehearse it.

Q: Does the hand bell choir do any performances out in the community or participate in competitions?

A: We have rung for the Fisher Cats Game (last summer), and we do a community carol sing every Christmas, which has become extremely popular. Although we have not competed, we have rung at hand bell conferences, some with hundreds of ringers. There is a huge network of hand bell choirs all over this nation and globally, as well. Conferences and seminars are conducted all year long. Children through seniors all participate and are wildly enthusiastic. It’s like belonging to a giant worldwide family.

Q: Does Bedford Presbyterian Church have any other unusual music groups?

A: We have a chime group for children and, of course, choirs for 3-year-olds right on up through the teen years and then adults. We also welcome instrumentalists of all levels and put a large emphasis on singing and playing together in our worship.