Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" performed by the Rockin' Raleigh Ringers during their Spring concert (2011) at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, North Carolina.
LOVE IT!!! The Raleigh Ringers are so original! Who would imagine that ":Don't Fear the Reaper" could sound that good on handbells! Keep up the good work!
This is a great choir. The choir I was in was rocking the west coast until this group came over one year and rocked our boat. Then they, and the rest of the bell choirs, ran off with our director's "4/6 in hand style." These guys are still rocking. I just don't like the Al bells though. I know they are lighter to lift but after ringing the same octave in bronze I prefer the crisper strike and the cleaner tone of the bronze bells. I love their Malmark bells though.
"I just don't like the Al bells though. I know they are lighter to lift but after ringing the same octave in bronze I prefer the crisper strike and the cleaner tone of the bronze bells." It is true that the bronze bells have a cleaner and purer tone, but bronze cannot be produced as low as the Raleigh Ringers need (they have down to the F2 in bronze, and the E2 down to the G1 in aluminum)
The C2 is listed in both Malmark's and Shulmerich's cataloges, but I wasn't aware of the technical difficulties (other than weight) bronze incurs at those pitches. Our Academy bell group just got a C2 and F2 chime from Malmark, and they have almost the same timbre, but lack some of the volume and the classic bell "striking sound" when rung. How do you think the low chimes (6th/7th octave) compare to the aluminum bells?
