Frequently-asked questions… and occasionally-asked questions… and lots of answers! We’d like your Choraegus music-buying experience to be as simple and stress-free as possible. If you have any questions, check to see if the answers are here!

Questions asked before purchasing our music:

Is it possible to see a copy of the music score before I make a purchase?

Mostly no, but for some of the full-choir arrangements there are a couple of preview pages. For everything else, there is a demonstration video or mp3 for each piece, which should give you a good idea of how the music will sound. If you have any specific questions about a particular piece, please contact us for more information before making your purchase.

Is there ever an opportunity for me to try your music before I buy?

Check the Upcoming Events section of our website for events we’ll be attending and the performances we’ll be giving. If you are able to attend one of them, let us know. We’ll be happy to meet with you and show you some of our music before you make your purchase. If you need to see specific scores, please tell us in advance, and we’ll bring them with us. If you’re planning a trip to Holland, Michigan, we can arrange to meet up and show you some music. Otherwise, try some of our free music to see how it works for you and your group!

How will I know if I have all the bells required to play a particular piece?

Check the description of the piece on our website. There will be a list of all the bells you’ll need.

Are some of your handbell pieces more difficult than others? 

Yes. The demonstration video and description of the piece should give you an idea of the level of challenge involved. If you’re unsure of where to start, you may wish to consider some of our “Surprisingly Easy” music first, then move on to the standard versions. Contact us for advice if you’re not sure what to buy!

Do you offer refunds if I buy your music and decide that it’s not suitable for my needs?

As our music scores are designed to be downloaded, it’s not generally our policy to offer refunds. However, if there’s a particular problem with the music you’ve downloaded, please contact us and let us know. We want you to be happy with your purchase, and will do anything we can to help.

Is your music color-coded, or suitable for people who don’t read music at all?

No. There are simple color-coded handbell tune books available elsewhere. Try searching online for “8 note handbell music”. Many beginning or improving handbell choirs have found some of our 8-bell pieces useful. However, the music is not specifically designed for people who are looking for an alternative to reading standard music scores.

I’d like to play your handbell music, but how will I know how many copies I need to buy and print out?

Please take a look at our simple-to-use buying guides, and see the licensing agreement for full details (also known as “the small print”).

I’m nervous about ordering and paying for music online. Is there another way?

We make every effort to ensure that you can order music from us easily and make payments with confidence. Buying online helps us to keep costs down, and means that you can receive your music quickly. If you have particular circumstances that make it impossible for you to buy our music online, please contact us to discuss alternative arrangements. Please note that additional costs may be payable to cover the cost of postage and packing if we send music to you by mail, and that no music will be dispatched to you until we’ve received payment.

Do I need to learn 4-in-hand to play your eight- or twelve-bell music?

No. Our eight-bell music can be played by two people using 4-in-hand, or by four people holding two bells each. In the same way, our twelve bell music can be played by a 4-in-hand trio, or by six people with two bells each, or with any other combination of people and bells that works for your group. Of course, if you’d like to learn to play 4-in-hand, our music (especially the “surprisingly easy” pieces) can be very useful for learning and practising!

I’m listening to a demonstration video of an 8-bell arrangement that uses bells G5 to G6. My ringers are used to playing F5 to F6. Is there anything that can be done?

Yes! Almost all of our unaccompanied 8-bell music comes as a “dual-range”™ PDF. Each PDF contains “G5-based” and “F5-based” versions of the music. The G5-based version is first; it’s the original version of the score, with notes almost always in the range G5-G6. This is the version we record in the demonstration videos for these pieces, and it’s the one we usually perform. The F5-based version is the same as the G5-based version, except transposed downward a half step or a whole step. This version is provides more familiar territory for those who prefer a “space = left hand, line = right hand” approach to ringing assignments.

I’ve noticed that some of your handbell arrangements are grouped into “collections”. Can I substitute one or two pieces in a collection for different ones, or create a “custom collection” of the pieces I want to buy, and purchase them for the price of one of your standard or “surprisingly easy” collections?

No, that’s not possible (sorry!) However, the music scores featured in our collections are all available to purchase individually in our online store, so you can easily create your own “collection” by purchasing all the pieces you need, at the price for each individual arrangement.  

If I purchase a full-choir arrangement, and an 8- or 12-bell arrangement of the same piece, will my handbell choir be able to play them at the same time?

No. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, our full-choir and small ensemble arrangements of the same pieces are not designed to be compatible with each other. Please don’t buy, for example, our 8-bell arrangement of Kingsfold and the 3-5 octave arrangement of the same piece with a view to performing both pieces at the same time. They definitely won’t match!

If I purchase a single copy of a full-choir arrangement, and decide I like it enough for my choir to play, do I really need to pay for the full-choir copies? What’s to stop me making copies of the single copy I have, to save money?

Your conscience? We’re rarely able to be at worship services and concerts where our music is played, so we don’t have a way to prevent customers from paying for the single-copy version of a full-choir score and making multiple copies. In the end, it all comes down to honesty. We rely on our customers to make the right decision about how many scores to purchase. We want to keep our small business running, while also keeping our music affordable – and we appreciate our customers who read and follow our licensing agreement. If you have questions, we’re very easy to get in touch with, and we’ll be happy to talk things through with you.

Questions asked after purchasing our music:

My music has not arrived in the mail. What should I do?

Our music is designed to be purchased online and downloaded via a link that’s shown on a confirmation page after purchase, and sometimes also sent to the customer by email. Unless you made specific arrangements with us before you made your purchase, you should not expect to receive anything in the mail. Check your inbox for an email from us!

I didn’t receive a download link, or maybe I missed it somehow. What should I do?

If you’ve purchased music online and made a payment, you should receive a confirmation page with a download link. You may also receive an email with the same link(s). If no email has arrived, please check your spam/junk folder before contacting us. If you find our emails in your spam folder, you may wish to check your spam settings, and “whitelist” our email address or add us to your “safe senders” list. Please also remember that your download link will be sent to the email address you used when purchasing the music – so if you asked someone else to order the music for you, it is likely that the email will be in their inbox, not yours. If you have multiple email accounts, please remember to check the correct inbox for the one you used when making your purchase! If you didn’t notice the download link on the confirmation page, and didn’t receive an email either, please contact us  and we’ll send you a new link to make sure you get your music!

Oops, I forgot to download my music, and the link has expired. What should I do?

Contact us and we will send you a new link so that you can receive your music.

I don’t have a printer, so how can I print the music scores?

Once you’ve downloaded your PDF file, you could copy it onto a USB memory stick and take it to your local library or office supply store for printing – or ask a friend to help you!

I’ve received my music, and it doesn’t look anything like what I was expecting. Can you help?

Maybe! Contact us and tell us why the music doesn’t match your expectations, and we’ll do what we can to help. Please note that we don’t generally offer refunds after the music has been downloaded – so if you have questions or doubts about whether or not the music is what you’re looking for, please ask questions before you make your purchase.

I accidentally did something silly/my computer did something weird/I think my payment went through wrongly/I have some other random problem or worry. Is there anything I can do about it?

Of course. Contact us and we will do our very best to explain things/fix stuff/make everything right.

Questions about playing and performing our music:

Do you send out “rehearsal notes” or instructions for playing your eight-bell or twelve-bell music, including suggested handbell assignments for each musician? 

No. You are welcome to assign the bells in any way that makes sense for you and your group, and to interpret the music as you choose. Having said that, you’re also welcome to contact us if you have any questions about a particular piece, or need help or suggestions for playing it. There’s also an article on our website about how we assign bells for our eight-bell duets, which you may find helpful.

How do you hold two bells in each hand? How is it possible to make one bell sound on its own, when you’re holding another one in the same hand?

We play our bells in the 4-in-hand style. Larry uses the “ring and knock” method most commonly used in the USA, and Carla uses the British style, which you can read about in detail on our website. The bells in each hand are held so that each clapper will move in a different direction, and that’s what makes it possible to play each bell separately.

Help! I can’t play this! I don’t understand where the notes are meant to go, or where the melody is, how I’m supposed to count this measure… or I have some other question relating to the music. Is there anything I can do?

Of course. Some of our music is challenging and may take time to learn and practise. Some pieces may be easier with a different bell assignment for each person. You’re always welcome to contact us and tell us what the problem is, and we’ll do our best to help.

Can I perform your music in public, for example in church or at any other event? Are there any restrictions? 

You may perform most of our music in public without any restrictions. However, there are a few exceptions, for pieces where the copyright is owned by someone else. Please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus music, and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. As handbell choirs and churches navigate the tricky waters of recording, broadcasting and live-streaming, it’s particularly important that we all understand and follow the laws concerning performance licensing and copyright.

Is it okay to make a recording of my performance of your piece, for YouTube or similar? Can we put it on our handbell choir’s DVD or CD?

You may make a recording of your performance for your own personal use, or for YouTube – and we’d love to see it! Please make sure you give credit to the composer/arranger, either in your video or in the description on YouTube or other website. If you want to include our music on a CD or DVD or similar recording, please contact us first to discuss permissions and licensing agreements. As mentioned above, please take some time to read about what you’re allowed to do with Choraegus music, and ask us if you have any questions!

The full piece is too long for the performance time we have available/my group can’t play the tricky middle section yet. Can we play just the last verse for our church service, or skip the middle section and just play the beginning and end, to save us some stress?

Yes. If you don’t have a lot of rehearsal time, or you don’t have space in your worship service for the full piece, we don’t mind if you make some cuts, as long as you’re not actually rearranging anything.

I’d like to make a few changes to one of your pieces; maybe add some different instrumentation, change the key, change a few of the notes to make it my own arrangement, then submit it for publication or sell it on my own website. Is that okay?

No, that is not okay. Please don’t do that, ever. 

My group will be performing one of your pieces, and we’d love to add percussion/double the melody on handchimes/play the melody on flute/add a few bass bells. Is there a problem with any of those things?

Those things sound fine. If you plan to make any drastic changes to the music as written, please check with us first, so that we can give you permission to make the changes/additions specifically for your group’s performance. We are generally happy for you to do the following:

Double notes an octave up (i.e. playing the same notes as written, but with higher bells);
Double notes an octave down in the bass;
Duplicate the melody line with a solo instrument
Add percussion
Add chimes

As long as you’re playing the notes that are in the score, even if you’re playing them an octave or two higher, or an octave or two lower, that’s no problem. If you wanted to make a rearrangement – adding entirely new notes, changing rhythms etc – then we’d probably need to talk more, because we’d be wading into the tricky waters of rearranging copyright music, which would definitely need permission. So, if you can accommodate your ringers by expanding the music in the ways above, rather than rearranging, then it’s no problem at all.

I’ve looked at these questions and answers, and now I need to get back to your music site. Is there a way to do that?

Yes. Click here!