Editing Handbell (section)

==Music==
Handbell choirs generally ring music composed or arranged specifically for handbells because of their highly resonant sound, the limited note range of a set, and the unique pitch-by-pitch division of the staff among the ringers.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}

There are several major publishers providing printed handbell music such as the Hope Publishing Company, [[The Lorenz Corporation]] and [[Alfred Music]] as well as free sites from individual composers and arrangers. Costs associated with handbell music typically result from shipping (many scores are only published in hard-copy) and dissemination; as most scores do not permit duplication and must be purchased individually for each ringer.

The coordination of the ringers requires a different approach than other ensembles. All the ringers read from a score. This score is similar to a piano score, but with an additional convention: The C{{music|#}} above [[middle C]] and all notes below are always written in the [[bass clef]], and the D{{music|b}} above middle C and all notes above are always written in the [[treble clef]]. (This formatting is not always the convention for solo and small-ensemble music.) Handbells<ref>{{Cite web |title=Handbell Repair |url=https://handbellservice.ca/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Handbell Service |language=en-CA}}</ref> are a [[transposing instrument]], meaning that they "speak" an octave higher than written (this is to help keep the notes centered on the staff), so a middle C bell is actually a [[Scientific pitch notation|C<sub>5</sub>]] or "tenor high C".<ref>{{cite web
  | last = Schmidt-Jones
  | first = Catherine
  | title = Transposing Instruments
  | url = http://cnx.org/content/m10672/latest/
  | access-date = 2008-03-08}}
</ref><ref name="AGEHR" /> (For simplicity, the bell would still always be referred to as middle C or C<sub>5</sub>). However some newer handbell music published today specifies to play an octave lower than written (meaning middle C sounds as C4 like on the piano) if the composer wants a bit more of a vocal character out of the handbells, or if the handbells are being used to accompany vocal [[choirs]] in order to not overpower the singers.

Due to handbells' relative rarity outside of the confines of church services—although less so now than in the 1980s and early 1990s—the majority of pieces last approximately four minutes. A few composers and arrangers write longer and more intricate works; generally these pieces use handbells in combination with other instruments.

[[File:Hand bells hung from stand (from Emil Richards Collection).jpg|thumb|right|Hand bells hung chromatically from stand]]