Choosing your child's first violin: some thoughts!

Helen Wright

- 13 September 2023

Last week, our elder son started violin lessons. As you can imagine, we’ve been excited about this for a very long time! We’ve put together a blog on the choices we made for his equipment, hope that it’s useful.

Trial appointments: what should I take with me?

Helen Wright

- 13 January 2022

One of the great joys of our work is that it’s hugely varied: we get to work with everyone from very young musicians to brilliant professional players from lots of different musical traditions. This variety means that there are no hard and fast rules about what to bring along when you’re trying instruments or bows with us: hopefully this list will give you some ideas but feel free to disregard anything that doesn’t suit! In general, we suggest the following

Buying a violin

Funding your instrument: where to find help

Helen Wright

- 17 November 2021

Buying your perfect musical partner can often be a major investment. The good news is that there are a number of organisations who might be able to help. We’ve listed a number of organisations who regularly support players with the purchase of an instrument or bow. They tend to be quite specific, so it is worth doing lots of research to find one that really fits your circumstances.

7/8 violins: your questions answered!

Tim Wright

- 28 April 2021

Having the correct size of instrument is vitally important. Find out all about 7/8 size violins here!

Buying a violin

Buying a violin online: our reflections on socially-distanced instrument shopping

Helen Wright

- 28 January 2021

As many of you know, we are musicians first and foremost: removing the possibility of visiting a violin shop and playing the instruments in person felt like an obstacle that was impossible to overcome. Nearly a year on, I’m happy to tell you that our socially-distanced process has proved to be very popular and that we are confident that it represents a viable alternative to visiting us in person for as long as this is necessary.

Buying a violin

Instrumental bargains and how to find them

Tim Wright

- 25 April 2016

Our aim here at Tim Wright Fine Violins is always to source instruments which offer fantastic value for money; instruments which sound far better than their price would suggest. One top tip for those of you searching for such an instrument is to consider broadening your search to makers from less well-regarded schools.

Buying a violin

Pictures of Joseph Hill now up

Tim Wright

- 18 October 2015

This violin was made in London by Joseph Hill, the first recorded violin maker of the famous Hill dynasty. Joseph was the great-grandfather of William Ebsworth Hill, who started the firm W. E. Hill and Sons. As far as we know, Joseph Hill was an honest and hard working violin maker, unlike his youngest son, Lockey Hill who was hanged for stealing horses!