Patterned Ringing is another way to use the concepts of Pentatonic Melodies with Ostinatos (Patterns). Ring the first phrase of a melody, then ring a pattern, ring the second melody phrase, then ring a pattern, and continue alternating a melodic phrase and a pattern.
Pick one of the Pentatonic melodies that you can play in one octave. Create a bell tree using C6-C7 (First String).
1st String (C6-C7) & Pentatonic:
| Come Let Us Eat | A Va De |
| Love Comes Down at Christmas | Garton |
| There is a Happy Land | Happy Land |
| And If You Meet with Troubles | Heavenly Amour |
| Jesus Loves Me | Jesus Loves Me |
| Jesus in the Morning | Jesus, Jesus, in the Morning |
| Leave it There | Leave it There |
| Come Thou Font of Every Blessing | Nettleton |
| Amazing Grace | New Britain |
| I’ve Got Peace Like a River | Peace Like a River |
| Nothing But the Blood of Jesus | Plainfield |
| Steal Away |
Play the melody a few times. Focus on the phrasing of the melody. Many hymns can easily be divided into 4 bar phrases. Tip: The end of a musical phrase is commonly where a vocalist would breathe.
Using a pentatonic scale, create a repeated pattern not more than four measures in length. Now play the entire melody alternating a melody phrase followed by a pattern, next phrase followed by the pattern, and so on.
Meditation on Jesus Loves Me video
Option 1: Use a different pattern between each phrase.
Option 2: Improvise a pattern between each phrase. As long as you maintain a similar or complementary style, there is no wrong pattern.
Option 3: Two bell trees, one ringing melody and one ringing the pattern. Ring antiphonally.
Consider using the pattern as an introduction and coda. Perhaps play the melody for one verse and use the patterning for the second verse.
Resource: Three Patterned Solos; Nelson, Susan; From the Top; MFM1075
Updated 240820
Creative Bell Tree Instructional Series 052620
@Karen Van Wert, [email protected]