Bruce Allured wrote:
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> Can anyone direct me to some handbell gloves that hold up to use?
> It seems like every time I lay in a new supply that I am still
> trying to find whole ones (without holes) in a month or two. I would
> be happy to pay more than the $4 per pair these cost if I could get
> some quality for the bucks.
Bruce, if you don't have a haberdasher nearby (REAL gloves made of thick
fine cotton with very high standards of workmanship), here are a couple
of options I've seen used:
1. Order marching band gloves...they're cheaper and they last about as long as handbell gloves. You'll still go through them fast, but they won't cost as much.
2. Save the handbell gloves for performance, and have the choir use cotton gardening gloves to practice in. These cushion the hands better, too, and they last for years. They come with or without dots.
Written by:
Tammy Raetz
tammrae@earthlink.net
18 Oct 2002
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Why wear gloves at all?
As a member of the East Texas Handbell Ensemble, we choose not to wear gloves which has carried over to my church group as well.
I know that the gloves are "meant to protect the bells", however those of you who know Arnold Sherman have heard his speech; "when you opt to wear the gloves it's to protect the bells but one plays with their hair, they touch their face, they shake people's hands etc etc so technically the oils that you are trying to protect the bells from are on the gloves too."
Therefore we ring without the gloves, and the bells are wiped down after every rehearsal, and truthfully it's easier to turn pages without the gloves.
Written by:
Leslie Sorrels
fanofdonald2000@yahoo.com
18 Oct 2002
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Leslie Sorrels writes:
> Why wear gloves at all?
Or why not wear them when they make sense, and not when they don't?
We often take off our gloves to play mallets. We take off our
gloves for the piece "Santiago", because clapping is a big part of
the piece, and it sounds stupid with gloves on. Kris told me that
there are a couple of pieces she plays "naked" because she can put
more energy into her bass bells with no gloves on - better grip.
And sometimes it's just expediency. I play the last three number in NJ with no gloves. I HAVE to play "Irna" naked because it's 4 minutes of mallets at lightning speed - I need to have a good grip on my mallets. And from then on I don't have a second to put my gloves back on!
The only thing is, I'm careful not to finger damp without gloves, and we find we have to really work at keeping the bells clean!
Written by:
Rima
rima@anet.net
Campanile
18 Oct 2002
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Bruce needs gloves that last?
I get mine at the local army/navy supply store - cast-offs from Military Dress Uniforms. They are incredibly well-cut, of a strong thicker cotton knit twill.... some might have stains on them, but I can go through a shipment and find a few good looking matched pairs..... The cuffs are also longer, so your wrists don't go bare.
I think I paid $2 per pair last time. I have to call and find out when the next shipment comes in, since they disappear very fast. You might have trouble finding very small ones.
If you know someone at a Military institute, they probably have some old pairs, too.
Written by:
Kath
Longwalk3@aol.com
18 Oct 2002
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For gloves, click on:
then, click on "marching band products", then "uniforms", then "gloves". Prices for white or black beaded gloves = $1.49 pr., white cotton gloves = $1.09 pr., white polyester gloves = $1.19 pr., various colored polyester gloves = $1.85 pr. (good for Christmas)
Phone # 800-323-5201
Location = Arlington Heights IL
Written by:
Pam Uzzell, RN
luvbells@nc.rr.com
18 Oct 2002
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For practicing, I found that the brown jersey work gloves held up the best, and being a little thicker made it nice for swinging buckets. I learned bell ringing before the gloves with the dots came out, and while they do help with the grip I have a hard time letting go of the bell for a switch; give me a plain, cotton glove.
To cut down on the holes, I covered the screw heads with tape (white athletic tape on the white handles and electrical tape on the blacks).
Written by:
Bill Gallip
bgallip@integrity.com
18 Oct 2002
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Desert Bells International has been glove free forever and I love it! I feel much more in tune with the bells and am not fighting with my gloves or worrying about my hands slipping. Turning pages is much easier too. Can you imagine trying to play other musical instruments wearing gloves?
Written by:
Debra McKee
Primitivefolkart@aol.com
22 Oct 2002
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Debra McKee wrote:
> Can you imagine trying to play other musical instruments wearing gloves?
I don't think it's fair to compare English handbells with "other
musical instruments." There are so many irregularities and differences that
even a contrast starts to appear foolish. Besides, marching bands wear
gloves when they march, and that for several reasons.
The point of this discussion is, to my reading, that wearing gloves to protect the casting is pretty much on its way out.
I still think that there's an aesthetic reason for wearing gloves. Sonos, Campanile and RiverBells wear gloves to match their outfits, and I think that's quite valid.
Written by:
Paul W. Allen
pallen@edcenter.egusd.k12.ca.us
22 Oct 2002
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Paul W. Allen wrote:
> I still think that there's an aesthetic reason for wearing gloves.
> Sonos, Campanile and RiverBells wear gloves to match their outfits,
> and I think that's quite valid.
Actually, Campanile wears gloves to cover up the multitude of
bandaids and help prevent blisters. Kat plays C3 150 or so times
near the end of the show. Just the weight of the bell on her hands
rubs her poor hands RAW, so she tapes her hands up with bandaids and
wears double gloves.
We wear black ones so they match our boots, satin, and spandex. ;-D
Written by:
Rima
rima@anet.net
Campanile
22 Oct 2002
To which Johmanda (johmanda@tampabay.rr.com) responded:
Kat - you need to make friends with a surgical nurse that can supply you with microfoam tape from the OR. It's wonderful. Sticks good, comes off easy, is cushioned and stretches. Not bulky at all. 1,000 times better than bandaids or mole skin.
To which Rima (rima@anet.net) responded:
Actually, she tried that, and prefers bandaids for some reason.
I actually had the same experience taping my feet for pointe shoes. Dunno why.... maybe 'cause we get our bandaids in bulk, we don't worry about using a million of 'em....
To which Johmanda (johmanda@tampabay.rr.com) responded:
We get the microfoam tape free from the surgical nurse. Once a roll is opened for a pt. the unused portion is tossed. I guess you could call it a way of "recycling". For me - bandaids leave gooey, sticky stuff on my fingers and if I sweat too much they come loose. Maybe you've found a better bandaid!! The only thing that's important is to find something that works.
BTW my daughter uses gel toe pads in her pointe shoes and hasn't had to tape her dainty toes!!
Originals were not saved in the archives and are lost.
Indeed! Anyone who has worked with bells knows glove really do nothing to protect castings.
To my way of thinking, there are only two reasons to wear gloves: protect the ringer from the bell (bass, 4ih, 6ih); and aestetics as Paul mentioned. I don't do much 4/6ih anymore, but as any good bass ringer knows, a good pair of bike (golf, bowling, baseball, etc.) gloves is a necessity, if one wants to keep one's finger joints flexible.
Written by:
Doug Benton
bellmaster@cox.net
22 Oct 2002
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Just a thought for the bandaid wearers....When I was playing 4ih all the time and developing the same painful blisters, etc. I was at a festival and having to change bandaids much too often. So before one rehearsal on day 2, I got the bright idea (I was 16 at the time) to tape (not bandaid) the outside of the gloves so that I didn't have to redo them...
Thus I created what my fellow ringers called the 'claw'. But it was really fast taking those gloves on and off, and my hands were bandaid- and blister-free.. An added bonus, I felt only the soft cotton of the gloves next to my hand. Later at home, I added a 2nd outside pair of gloves to cover up the unsightly tape.
Those claws lasted me for two years!
Written by:
Nancy Durkee
WongoBunny@aol.com
22 Oct 2002
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Paul Allen wrote:
> The point of this discussion is, to my reading, that wearing
> gloves to protect the casting is pretty much on its way out.
Not around here it isn't.
As soon as I have half of my bell choir staying to help put stuff away, I might consider wiping down the bells after each rehearsal.
Until then, there's the handy-dandy lingerie bag that goes in with my regular white wash every week -- limits the accumulation of body oils, saliva, etc. to the single, 90-minute rehearsal; and keeps the bells a whole lot cleaner.
Written by:
geOrdun
orduns@cox.net
23 Oct 2002
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Doug Benton wrote:
> To my way of thinking, there are only two reasons to wear gloves: protect
> the ringer from the bell (bass, 4ih, 6ih); and aestetics as Paul mentioned.
I have one more reason -- I can play just fine without gloves when I
practice, but when I perform, my hands "perspire" and tend to stick to the
handles. If I wear snug, dotless (!) gloves, I can still feel the bells,
but they are more flexible in my hands, and I can let go of them more
quickly.
Written by:
Nancy Hascall
nhascall@hotmail.com
23 Oct 2002
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One of the ringer in my group is thinking of buying a pair of the neoprene gloves that are advertised by Jeffers. I told her I would send a message to the "L" asking if anyone has used them, if they liked them, and if they're worth $12.00.
Written by:
Laurie Brasile
lbrasile@netscape.net
07 Nov 2002
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Date: 7 Nov 2002
From: Noel Piercy <piercno@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: neoprene gloves
One of my senior high kids bought a pair. They did not "breathe" and the quantity of perspiration generated by this kid's hands was staggering. His bells got so slimy it was *revolting*. I made him give up those gloves.
Date: 7 Nov 2002
From: Sherry Colgrove <bellringer_sh@yahoo.com>
Subject: Neoprene Gloves
AMEN to the hands sweating!! They were extremely uncomfortable. I would not recommend them.
Date: 7 Nov 2002
From: "Charlotte Hoover" <belldiva@nwlink.com>
Subject: neoprene gloves
I can't tell if the Jeffers gloves are the same as mine, by the pictures of same on their website (handbellworld.com) but the description sounds the same.
I don't like mine. They make my hands sweat. There does not appear to be any extra padding between the fingers. Perhaps bass bell ringers might have a different view?
Originals were not saved in the archives and are lost.
Date: 8 Nov 2002
From: "Philip B. Raymond" <philip@papaquack.com>
Subject: Neoprene Gloves
Contrary to what seems to be popular belief about the gloves, I'd have to say that I really like mine. Yes, I do agree that they don't breathe very well and your hands do get warm, but I've never had any problems with the gloves making the bells slimy and icky. Before I moved to California at the beginning of this year, I played in a quartet that practiced upwards of 6 hours per week, and was buying new gloves at the rate of at least four times a year to practice. Since buying the neoprene gloves three years ago, I haven't bought another pair of gloves to practice since (although two of my fingertips do have small holes in them right now). So, the money I've saved in buying gloves since using the neoprene ones has made using the gloves well worth it in my opinion. The other thing I like about the gloves is the grip they have, and the fact that you don't have to deal with the little plastic dots falling off. :-) I know it's just my opinion, but I've really liked the gloves and have learned to get over my hands being warm (besides... it kinda makes me feel a little more professional when I take my gloves off). :-) Hope that helps.
Date: 08 Nov 2002
From: Bob Butler <rbutler@stny.rr.com>
Subject: Re: neoprene gloves
I have seen some very negative answers about this question. I thought that I would put something more on the positive side.
My son who rings all the fives at our church uses them. They are quite worn and darkened with dirt. I think that he wears a set of plain cotton gloves under the neoprene. Anyway he likes them better then anything else that he has worn. He doesn't like the plastic dots on gloves because they stick too much when he is trying to moved from bell to bell. The neoprene do to catch.
I also have a set of neoprene gloves. However, I have a dislike for any gloves. I have notices the few people seem to notice that I am not wearing gloves, so I don't wear them. I do, however, have them with me, and if the director were to ask me to put them on I would. I am unhappy with the amount of wear that goes against gloves. I have noticed that they would wear out in less than a year. Based on my son's use I think that the neoprene gloves would last a lot longer. I ring in the lower fours and find that I do not need to touch the bells. So, not wearing gloves is not much of a factor in getting finger prints on the bells.
Date: 9 Nov 2002
From: "Joyce Terry" <jetsam@pop.mail.rcn.net>
Subject: RE: neoprene gloves
Personally, I swear by them. I only use gloves when I ring bass (which is most of the time). I like them to fit snugly and give protection where I don't already have calluses. I also want to feel the bells like I don't have gloves on. These fit the bill. I completely wear out a couple of pair a year and they are worth every penny. They don't really work for treble bells in my opinion. YMMV.
Originals were not saved in the archives and are lost.
I haven't posted in ages but thought I'd give my $.02 on this one.... In our group a bunch of us use the black Nike baseball gloves and they seem to be great. I swear by them, and I too would much rather ring without gloves, but being in the bass (C4D4) my hands get too ripped up. I tried the neoprene ones out at Area VIII this summer and the palms were a little too sticky for my taste. Although I didnt actually ring with them on, I got the impression that I would have a tough time making quick bell changes with them. I love the baseball gloves because they have the breathable material on the back of the hand, and a firm, yet not too firm grip on the palm. However, they are more expensive as I think they are like almost $20 a pair, but I abuse them and they lasted just over two years, and hey now they even are sold as a set. When I got my first pair, I had to buy a right glove and a left glove separately!
Written by:
Renee Meyer
RenMeyer@aol.com
10 Nov 2002
Original was not saved in the archives and is lost.