In 2014 I came up with this 240 of Spliced Grandsire and Plain Bob, and then turned it into a 1440 a few years later. This was followed by other multi-extent blocks.

 

What makes it difficult to splice these two methods together is that the plained and bobbed lead ends of Grandsire do not mix at all well with the Bob Doubles lead ends, and it is very difficult to pin down a system of q-sets.

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I knew that a 240 would give me more room to manoeuvre than a 120, and that there might be more options available. True touches of spliced in these two methods are possible if you use the same kind of call in both methods, but I wanted to use the specific calls for the respective methods: i.e: Grandsire bobs and singles in the Grandsire, and Plain Bob bobs in the Plain Bob.

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I managed to come up with a 240 that was surprisingly close to these requirements, though it does have to use one funny call.

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240 Spliced Grandsire and Plain Bob Doubles

RBP

            2345

Plain Bob   3524

Grandsire S 4235

Plain Bob x 2453

Plain Bob   4325

Grandsire S 5243

Plain Bob   2354

Grandsire S 4523

Plain Bob   5342

Grandsire - 4253

Grandsire S 3542

Plain Bob   5234

Grandsire S 4352

Plain Bob   3245

Grandsire S 5432

Plain Bob - 5423

Grandsire S 3254

Plain Bob   2435

Grandsire S 5324

Plain Bob   3452

Grandsire S 2534

Plain Bob - 2543

Grandsire S 3425

Plain Bob   4532

Grandsire S 2345

X = Place notation 5.12345

All other calls used are as for their respective methods.

Every change occurs twice: once at handstroke, once at backstroke.

Composed 1st August 2014.

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Lets dissect this a little. The 240 was made up of four identical quarters of 60 changes that needed to be joined up to form the 240. There are a few hints in the finished 240 as to where the 60s were joined up. The isolated use of that ugly call 'X', for example, and the isolated use of a Grandsire bob. Unfortunately I had to include the 'X', otherwise I wouldn't have been able to join more than three of the 60s together. You can also tell where some of the 60s join each other, when you get two consecutive leads of Grandsire, or Plain Bob.

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One way of getting rid of the X is to replace it with a bob (or plain lead) which turns the 240 into a two-part 480, with every change four times: twice at handstroke, twice at backstroke. Furthermore, in the second part you can replace the bob in the Grandsire with a plain lead which triples the 480 into a (true) 1440.

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I discovered this in 2018 and was delighted. A true multi-extent block of spliced Grandsire and Plain Bob, using all of the traditional plain leads, single, and bobs for both respective methods and without using any other kind of call! (Such as 'X')

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We first rang it at St Bartholomew-the-Great, Smithfield (I wanted a quirky five to ring it on!) in May 2018, and the figures are here.

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Soon afterwards I started exploring other composition ideas, and was amazed and delighted to find a block with several linkage possibilities. I used it to produce the following one-part 480:

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              480 Spliced Doubles (2 methods)

              RBP (480 no. 2)

            2345

Grandsire   2534

Plain Bob - 2543

Grandsire s 3425

Plain Bob   4532

Plain Bob - 4523

Plain Bob   5342

Grandsire s 2453

Plain Bob - 2435

Grandsire s 5324

Plain Bob   3452

Grandsire - 5234

Plain Bob - 5243

Grandsire s 3452

Plain Bob   4235

Grandsire   4523

Grandsire s 3245

Plain Bob - 3254

Grandsire - 5432

Grandsire s 2354

Plain Bob   3425

Grandsire   3542

Plain Bob   5234

Grandsire s 4352

Plain Bob - 4325

Grandsire s 5243

Plain Bob   2354

Grandsire - 5423

Grandsire s 3254

Plain Bob - 3245

Grandsire - 4532

Grandsire s 2345

Plain Bob   3524

Grandsire - 2435

Plain Bob - 2453

Grandsire s 3524

Plain Bob   5432

Plain Bob - 5423

Plain Bob   4352

Grandsire s 2543

Plain Bob - 2534

Grandsire s 4325

Plain Bob   3542

Grandsire - 4235

Plain Bob - 4253

Grandsire - 5342

Plain Bob - 5324

Grandsire s 4253

Plain Bob   2345

240 each of Grandsire and Plain Bob, with 39 changes of method.

Every change occurs 4 times: twice at hand, twice at back.

Composed 22nd May 2018.

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I was amazed that this was possible: a 480 of these two methods, including all of the traditional plain leads, bobs, and single for each respective method without using any other kinds of call (this specification is important for the composition to feel like a genuine grass-roots splicing of Plain Bob and Grandsire, that a village Sunday Service band would identify.) 480 is only twice the length of a 240 and four times the length of a 120, and yet a composition meeting this criterion can still be met in such a short touch. Until then I'd assumed that my 1440 no. 1 was the shortest possible length (my 480 no. 1 has no plain leads of Grandsire, so doesn't count.)

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Enthused by this, I tripled 480 no. 2 to form my three-part 1440 no. 2 (which is in fact an irregular six-part.) This would be fiendishly difficult to call - far harder than the structured 1440 no. 1 - but it has far more of "the work" for more of the bells than 1440 no. 1 (i.e: there are uninterrupted and truncated bobbed and plained leads for both methods.)

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                               1440 Spliced Doubles (2 methods)

                               RBP (1440 no. 2)

            2345

Grandsire s 5423

Plain Bob   4352

Plain Bob - 4325

Plain Bob   3542

Grandsire s 2435

Plain Bob - 2453

Grandsire s 3524

Plain Bob   5432

Grandsire - 3254

Plain Bob - 3245

Grandsire s 5432

Plain Bob   4253

Grandsire   4325

Grandsire s 5243

Plain Bob - 5234

Grandsire - 3452

Grandsire s 2534

Plain Bob   5423

Grandsire   5342

Plain Bob   3254

Grandsire s 4532

Plain Bob - 4523

Grandsire s 3245

Plain Bob   2534

Grandsire - 3425

Grandsire s 5234

Plain Bob - 5243

Grandsire - 4352

Grandsire s 2543

Plain Bob   5324

Grandsire - 2453

Plain Bob - 2435

Grandsire s 5324

Plain Bob   3452

Plain Bob   4235

Plain Bob   2543

Grandsire s 3425

Plain Bob - 3452

Grandsire s 2534

Plain Bob   5423

Grandsire - 2354

Plain Bob - 2345

Grandsire   2534

Plain Bob - 2543

Grandsire s 3425

Plain Bob   4532

Grandsire   4253

Plain Bob - 4235

3 part.

720 each of Grandsire and Plain Bob, with 119 changes of method.

Every change occurs 12 times: six at hand, six at back.

Composed 22nd May 2018.

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Not only does this 1440 contain more of "the work" than 1440 no. 1, but it has more variety in general, with lots of different ways of changing between the two methods (though, sadly, all of the singled leads of Grandsire are truncated by an immediate change to Plain Bob.)

 

On 19th May 2018 (the date of the Royal Wedding) I turned the 1440 no. 1 into a four-part peal of 5760 changes, and on 22nd May I turned 480 no. 2 into a four-part 1920. These compositions include even more of "the work" for more bells than the originals and can be found on CompLib. I believe that the 1920 is almost comprehensively "Super All The Work," with every bell doing uninterrupted and truncated plain leads, bobs, and singles for both methods, EXCEPT the 3rd, who does not get to do four blows in 3rds at the single, because the touch comes round at that point!

 

At the same time I was much surprised to discover that a true 120 of spliced Grandsire and St Simon's is possible. Call: Grandsire (single), St Simon's (bob), Grandsire (single), St Simon's (plain lead) x3. I then turned this into a 480 with plained and bobbed leads of Grandsire, and came up with some other touches incorporating St Martin's as well. These are on CompLib. 

 

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