John Francis Wright

Point of view from any remotely new , moved or unexpected object in my house. Security patrol is on it!! 🐕 👊

This, like many other parts of the making process can almost feel like therapy. The gouge slicing through the fibres of the wood, starts to give signs of a sound. Lower with the soft spruce and higher with the harder maple. It takes a few instruments to build up a feel for when the thicknesses are close and know the need to move onto the small thumb planes for final adjustments . The feel of working the wood like this is almost hypnotic so it’s important to keep an eye on what the plate is doing. I got so carried away on my first ever go at this, that I went right through to the other side. That one hangs on my wall as a reminder. A tough but welcome lesson. 🎻🥰🎻 #violinmaker #woodwork #handtools #sharp #guarneri

Very excited to introduce Duo Síor. For the past few years, Clarice and John have loved bringing smaller chamber works and folk-inspired repertoire to life together, and are delighted to now make it an official project. Watch this space for clips and glimpses of what they’ve been working on. The duo will make their public debut at their inaugural concert at St Mary Magdalene Church as part of the “Music for Market” series. The name Síor comes from the Irish word meaning eternal, continuous, or everlasting - a reflection of the duo’s love of music that transcends time, and of repertoire that deserves to be continually rediscovered and brought to life. To support the journey from the very beginning, please give the Instagram page a like and follow. Much love 🎻🎻

A snapshot of a specific working technique for defining the high point of the edge on this late Del Gesu inspired model. The aim is to work at speed and leave as much of the finished shape off the tool as possible. Interesting for me to look at the ergonomics of my own tool use from time to time. The carving can stay pretty accurate along the channel as long as you guide the gouge back to just before the deepest part of the previous cut. I get a lot of joy from working like this as it feels I suppose quite expressive in a way. Knowing it will stay quite raw and not too over scraped afterwords, leaves some evidence of the moment preserved in time for as long as this violin lives. No doubt some expert in 100 years will say something like , “yes we think he has some health problems early on” or “he was never the same after that Duel in the market square”. You know the sort of stories. For now it’s just getting on with a job I love and letting some of my own character into the story of a violin. #violinmaker #guarneridelgesu #honestwork

The past two weeks have been a tale of 3 Florian’s. Firstly we were very happy to welcome Florian Leonhard. Florian very generously took time away from his famous London workshop schedule, to present an all encompassing talk to the students. Not only did we receive a fascinating insight to the violin world from a very personal angle, but we were treated to a spread of stunning historically significant instruments that brought the lecture to life even more. A gorgeous mid golden period Stradivari, a humbling Guarneri del Gesu from the late 1730’s, and to make the point that Cremona was hot but not the only spot, we had a glorious Peter Guarneri of Venice from the early 1720’s to link the timeline. Our 3rd year tutor John Wright @jfwrightluthier was graciously allowed to demonstrate the sound of each instrument to the students and help illustrate the conversation of the vastly different arch shapes and how they might impact the tonal qualities. The set was also completed by a Stradivari model violin fresh from Florian’s own workshop and I think all in attendance were impressed by how it compared to the old masters on show with it. Next up, our second year students had the gift of Florian Bailey’s time to illuminate more, the world of bows on our course. This generous guest lecture, from one of the UK’s top bow restorers, brings a perfect compliment of something different yet extremely relevant, to our 2nd years who often start to consider what avenue of the profession they may journey along. Last but by no means least, we have our very own 2nd year repair and restoration lecturer, Florian Forconi, who celebrated a very special birthday this week. Happy birthday Flo from all the staff and students 🎂. Three very different Florian’s that all bring their unique qualities to the journey of our students. A perfect demonstration of the huge benefits we see from all working together towards a worthy cause. Thanks to all involved for organising and coordinating these essential visits, that undoubtedly punctuate the deep dive of a journey our students take at Newark. #stradivari #delgesu #guarneri #violinmaker #experts #worldclasseducation #teamwork

Very pleased to introduce my interpretation of the 1773 Guadagnini viola (the year seems to be disputed), known in the literature as the ‘Cozio’ . It holds this name as it was documented by Count Cozio di Salabue, as the best viola in his collection. He was famously a patron of Guadagnini and furnished him with years worth of work and even the tools from the Stradivari workshop, in a bid to replicate the golden era of the cremonese tradition. It’s clear from the expressive and undisguised tool work we see on much of this makers output, that he had a more pragmatic idea in mind than that of the crisply finished purity of the Stradivari workshop. This is my second foray into the mindset of G B Guadagnini and it is always a tonic to allow an unapologetic freedom of the tools and finished texture. For me, it’s clear that these instruments were made with sound, pace and function first, with aesthetic perfection, somewhat further down the list. I landed in Dublin this morning to deliver the viola to its new home. This viola was initially a personal project that has since, through very good timing, found its way into the hands of a close personal friend and long time musical colleague. Off to the arts centre in Tullamore to see its first outing with the glas quartet.

A few moments before baton down for Schubert’s mass in G at Lincoln Cathedral this morning. Pretty incredible building… complete with rope powered organ it seems!…🧐

A few weeks ago, Max @ermine.prod came to capture a sense of what goes on at the workshop. He came with an open but incredibly creative mind as to how best sample the atmosphere. Thoroughly recommend getting in touch if you need a similar service for your own business or project. Top guy, top service and incredibly professional throughout. I hope you enjoy what he was able to capture.

As a long-time friend and ambassador for @newark_school_of_violin_making I’m so glad to hear that the college is opening its doors to new students! This month I’ve had the chance to play a stunning violin made in Newark by my friends John Francis Wright and Antoine Gourdon. A really special moment of insight into the living legacy of modern luthiers 💫 I feel so lucky to have the chance to play many great old Italian violins and modern instruments on stage and it’s amazing to think this centuries-old tradition is still going. I’ve seen how luthiers are continuing to make such high quality instruments against all odds and in an age where technology is dictating all aspects of our lives these skills need to be protected! If you would like to check out John and Antoine’s violin it is currently at @stringersoflondon 🎻 @jfwrightluthier @gourdon_antoine_luthier

It was a very special moment this week to escort my newest cello over to Ottawa and into the extremely capable hands of the lovely Karen Casey . Captured here are some of the first sounds of and reactions to the instrument and a glimpse into the discussions that go along with this very unique exchange between Maker and Musician. I could tell this instrument felt lively and ready to sing from early on, but I wasn’t ready for the depth of sound that Karen was able to draw from it. To work with musicians at this level, who are inspired to explore the instruments so sincerely in reflection of their own musical voice, is a hugely meaningful process that I feel so fortunate to take part in.

Having the best time trying out the Canadian winter for size. Amazing start to the trip with our old pals Gordon and Lisa in Montreal and then first day in Ottawa today. Had a pair of ice skates on for the first time in years…. Skating through town on the frozen canal was worlds away from Friday night ice discos in Glasgow EK. Turns out I can only turn left from hours of one way skating as a kid!

Other than tax returns…It’s been a solid week of Varnish in the workshop. I’m working with much lighter, subtle shades for this project. Only snap shots as I don’t want to spoil the surprise for the customer who gets to meet this cello very soon. The idea for this varnish was a salute to the customer’s current stunning cello that has served them so well until now. Often when an old instrument approaches the point of needing structural restoration, it can be extremely hard work for a professional player to get what they need from it week in week out. So this cello is to be put to work straight away while a fine old instrument takes some well deserved rest. Varnishing is a rabbit hole I love to jump down. Creating a varnish that mimics a fine aged oil varnish, feels very much like the final stages of putting a difficult piece of music together. There’s very much an opening and an ending that bookend the order of every step in between. From the ground colour of the wood, right through the different layers of varnish and pigments suspended within, and then to the final texture or polish of the surface. I feel that in order to have something convincing, we need to have the chronology of how each layer came to be and why. Once this story comes together it makes it much easier to choose pigments and products that help build the story up in a genuine way. Anyway, I hope you’ve all had a nice start to the year … as , eh… it’s Feb tomorrow 👀