Purdue Bells: Specialty Groups
Four-In-Hand Quartet
Lydia Emenhiser, Breanne Crowder, Brady Halligan, Debbie McCaffrey and Meghan Farris
Members of the Purdue Bells with an aptitude for multiple grip techniques are chosen for the Four-in-Hand quartet because of the unique nature of the quartet. Each member holds all of the bells he or she plays. The four-in-hand technique is so named because it enables the ringer to hold four bells in two hands. The clapper of the bell only strikes the casting when played in one direction. The first bell is held in normal ringing position. The motion used to ring the bell is similar to scooping ice cream. When placing the other bell's clapper in the opposite direction you may turn your wrist and make a motion to ring the second bell similar to knocking on a door. Because the clappers are facing different directions, the two bells will not play at the same time unless you quickly flick your wrist to achieve this. This quartet is easily portable since all they require are the 16 bells they play.
Off the Table Quartet
Brady Halligan, Nikki Sorensen, Breanne Crowder and Debbie McCaffrey
Members from the Purdue Bells who are quick to memorize and agile both on and off the table are selected for this ensemble. The Off-the-Table Quartet sets its bells up much like a piano keyboard. This style of playing is different from traditional handbell ringing because players are responsible for all the notes written in their parts rather than just being assigned two or more notes. Players must be sure to return their notes to the appropriate spot after they are finished playing or else things may become a bit confused, much like the notes on a piano changing their location at random. The playing of a song must be choreographed to pass appropriate notes from one player to another if necessary. The ensemble must be aware of everything that is going on to make these transitions smoothly. One advantage of this ensemble is the ability to play a large range of music with a small amount of players.
Shaker Chime Ensemble
Nikki Sorensen, Breanne Crowder and Melanie Conquest
Members of the Purdue Bells who memorize quickly and have a good ear and sense of team work are chosen to play in the Shaker Chime Ensemble. The Shaker Chimes are a rare antique instrument which three members of the ensemble play at a time.
The Shaker Chimes are set up much like a piano keyboard, with the bottom row containing the same notes as the white keys and the top row the same as the black keys. The shape of the instrument more closely resembles that of a xylophone, with the higher pitched chimes being smaller and the lower pitched chimes being larger. Each pendulum contains four individual chimes, the first being the lowest fundamental pitch, the second chime the same pitch exactly one octave higher, and the third and fourth chime in combination one additional octave higher.
The chimes individually strike the wooden base and when struck, pulled, or shaken, they all sound together to produce a nice full tone. This ensemble plays a large variety of music and is always a crowd pleaser.