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Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner

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What Do Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner Do?

Job Description & Duties Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.

What Do Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Do On a Daily Basis?

  • Polish instruments, using rags and polishing compounds, buffing wheels, or burnishing tools.
  • Repair cracks in wood or metal instruments, using pinning wire, lathes, fillers, clamps, or soldering irons.
  • Wash metal instruments in lacquer-stripping and cyanide solutions to remove lacquer and tarnish.
  • Strike wood, fiberglass, or metal bars of instruments, and use tuned blocks, stroboscopes, or electronic tuners to evaluate tones made by instruments.
  • Inspect instruments to locate defects, and to determine their value or the level of restoration required.
  • Adjust felt hammers on pianos to increase tonal mellowness or brilliance, using sanding paddles, lacquer, or needles.

Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner Needed Skills

When polled, Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Types of Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner

  • Piano Mechanic
  • Pipe Organ Tuner and Repairer
  • Piano Technician
  • Fretted String Instrument Repairer
  • Chip Tuner

Are There Job Opportunities for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners?

There were about 8,300 jobs for Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 1.2% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 100 new jobs for Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 700 job openings in this field each year.

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The states with the most job growth for Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner are Tennessee, Iowa, and Florida. Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Massachusetts, or Connecticut. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

How Much Does a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner Make?

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners make between $22,700 and $59,020 a year.

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Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners who work in New Mexico, Vermont, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.

How much do Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners make in each U.S. state?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $31,480
Arizona $33,500
California $41,720
Colorado $34,990
Connecticut $37,900
Florida $30,710
Georgia $49,330
Illinois $49,720
Indiana $31,930
Iowa $42,540
Kansas $32,320
Kentucky $36,630
Louisiana $33,890
Maryland $41,030
Massachusetts $37,850
Michigan $32,970
Minnesota $36,670
Mississippi $34,750
Missouri $35,990
New Jersey $43,000
New Mexico $87,200
New York $39,200
North Carolina $35,720
Ohio $33,250
Oklahoma $39,220
Oregon $32,710
Pennsylvania $40,620
South Carolina $38,840
Tennessee $38,550
Texas $39,300
Utah $36,990
Vermont $52,020
Virginia $36,480
Washington $43,000
West Virginia $35,470
Wisconsin $36,590

What Tools & Technology do Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners may use on a daily basis:

How to Become a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner

Education needed to be a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner:

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How Long Does it Take to Become a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner?

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Where Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Are Employed

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The table below shows the approximate number of Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners employed by various industries.

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References:

Image Credit: Phasmatisnox via CC BY 3.0

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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