TOUCHES OF 8-SPLICED SURPRISE MAJOR

by Anthony P. Smith

When ringing touches of Spliced Surprise Major it is often considered desirable to ring just one lead of each of the standard eight methods. Essentially there is only one touch of exactly eight leads and that is WHWH with the methods rung Bristol, four leads of "B group" methods and an "OXO" course.

However, if one is not too concerned with truth and doesn't mind, or even likes, rounds at handstroke, the following touches may provide some variety. They can all include all eight standard Surprise methods and come round at the treble's handstroke snap after 253 changes. They are all true with respect to the lead-heads and lead-ends but most of them are otherwise transparently false. It is interesting that there are no such touches coming round after 29 changes of Rutland.

To save trees, an abridged notation is used and, as an example, here is touch L1 in the usual notation.

2345678X
S5378264X
S8364527O
S6583742X
3452678X
2748365X
S8765234B
6827453L
(2648376)

B1XXXOXXOB
B2XXXOXSXOSB
B3XXXOXOXB
B4XXXOXSOXSB
B5XXXOSXOSXB
B6XSXOXXXOSB
B7XSXOXXSXOB
B8XSXOXXOXSB
B9XSXOXXSOXB
C1XXXXSBOSOC
C2XXXOBOSXSC
C3XXSXOSBOSXSC
C4XXOXBOSXSC
C5XXOSXBOSXC
C6XXSOXSBOSXSC
C7XXSOSXSBOSXC
C8XXBXOOSXSC
C9XXSBXSOOSXSC
C10BXXXSOSOSXSC
C11BXXSXSOSOSXC
C12BOSXXXSOSXSC
C13BOSOSXXXSXSC
L1XSXSOSXXXSBL
L2XSXSXXXSOSBL
P1XXSXXOSBOP
P2XXSXXOOSBP
P3XXSXSXOSOSBP
P4XXXOXBOP
P5XXSXOXSBOP
P6XXXOSXOSBP
P7XXSXOXOSBP
P8XXSXSOXSOSBP
P9XXSOXXSBOP
P10XXSXBXOSOP
P11XXSXSBXSOSOP
P12XOOSXXSBXP
P13OXOSXXSBXP
P14OOXSXXSBXP
P15XXSBXXSOOP
P16BSXXXOXSOP
P17BSXSXOXXOP
S1XXOXSBOXSU
S2XXOSXSBOXU
S3XXSOXBOXSU
S4XXSOSXBOXU
S5XOXXSBOXSU
S6XOXSXSBOXU
S7XOXXSBOSXU
S8XOXXOBXU
S9OXXXSBOXSU
S10OXXSXSBOXU
S11OXXXSBOSXU
S12OXXXOBXU
S13XXBXSOSOSXSU
S14XXSBXOSOSXSU
S15BXXXSOOXSU
S16BXXXSOSOXU
S17BXXSXSOOXU
S18BOXSXXOSXU
S19BOXXOXXU
S20BOXSXOXSXU
S21BOXSOXXSXU
S22OBSXXXOSXU
S23OBSXXOXSXU
S24OBSXSXOXXU
S25OBXOSXXSXU
S26OBSXOXXSXU

KEY
BBristol
CCambridge, Lincolnshire or Yorkshire
LLondon
OLondon or Rutland
PPudsey
USuperlative
XCambridge, Lincolnshire, Pudsey, Superlative or Yorkshire
SSingle
Bob

The Ringing World, August 19, 1977, page 723

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