Actually, it is not difficult to learn how to ring.  However, like many things, one requires practice to develop the best technique.  Most of our ringers have been ringing two to three years through Union Church's middle school handbell program, the Allegretto Handbell Choir.  This said, we have had a ringer go on tour with only two months of experience, and he did exceptionally well (of course, he's an exceptional guy, too). 

Generally, it is helpful to know how to read music, but music reading for bells can be taught and learned fairly quickly. In fact, there are several elementary schools which use handchimes in early music education as a means to teach both ensemble musicianship and basic music notation reading ability.

To learn a little about the mechanics of ringing, please see our How To Ring page.