Abel includes a Learning Exercises method collection, containing various useful exercises that are used in the Learning the Ropes scheme and elsewhere. To access it, click File/Open and select Learning Exercises. Each exercise is a method within this collection: double click the method name, then ring it in the usual way. In most cases, the names of the methods are self explanatory, but for some there are notes below.

Since many of the exercises come back to rounds very quickly, and are intended for repeated ringing, you will probably want to turn off Stop at Rounds by clicking the "." button on the toolbar or pressing the "." key on the keyboard.

The various Dodging exercises all start at handstroke. You can choose to start them at backstroke instead: after starting the bells into rounds, click the "Bob" button (or press the "a" key) before you click Go. If you don't want Abel to actually say "bob" at the start, turn off Options/SoundOptions/Calls.

The One Step exercise just rings with no changes, until you press one of the following keys, when it makes "one step" of a simple right-place method at the immediately following handstroke:

• The "callX" key (usually "x"): this causes all pairs of bells to swap (place notation x)
• The "bob" key (usually "a"): this causes internal pairs of bells to swap (place notation 16)
• The "single" key (usually ";"): this causes pairs in 34 and 56 to swap (place notation 12)
• The "callY" key (usuall "y"): this causes pairs in 23 and 56 to swap (place notation 14)

See also:

  Using External Switches