The coordination of the ringers requires a different approach than other ensembles. All the ringers read from a score. This score is similar to a piano score, but with an additional convention: The C above middle C and all notes below are always written in the bass clef, and the D above middle C and all notes above are always written in the treble clef. (This formatting is not always the convention for solo and small-ensemble music.) Handbells are a transposing instrument, meaning music is written one octave lower than the sound the bells make, so a middle C bell is playing the note C5. (For simplicity, the bell would still always be referred to as middle C or C5.)