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Date: 03/24/2025

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

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

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Repair breaks in percussion instruments, such as drums and cymbals, using drill presses, power saws, glue, clamps, grinding wheels, or other hand tools.
    • Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
    • Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
    • Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
    • Strike wood, fiberglass, or metal bars of instruments, and use tuned blocks, stroboscopes, or electronic tuners to evaluate tones made by instruments.
    • Solder or weld frames of mallet instruments and metal drum parts.
    • Assemble bars onto percussion instruments.
    • Solder or weld frames of mallet instruments and metal drum parts.
    • Strike wood, fiberglass, or metal bars of instruments, and use tuned blocks, stroboscopes, or electronic tuners to evaluate tones made by instruments.
    • Test tubes and pickups in electronic amplifier units, and solder parts and connections as necessary.
    • Solder posts and parts to hold them in their proper places.
    • Repair cracks in wood or metal instruments, using pinning wire, lathes, fillers, clamps, or soldering irons.
    • Make wood replacement parts, using woodworking machines and hand tools.
    • Inspect instruments to locate defects, and to determine their value or the level of restoration required.
    • Replace xylophone bars and wheels.
    • Refinish instruments to protect and decorate them, using hand tools, buffing tools, and varnish.
    • Align pads and keys on reed or wind instruments.
    • Reassemble instruments following repair, using hand tools and power tools and glue, hair, yarn, resin, or clamps, and lubricate instruments as necessary.
    • Polish instruments, using rags and polishing compounds, buffing wheels, or burnishing tools.
    • Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
    • Wash metal instruments in lacquer-stripping and cyanide solutions to remove lacquer and tarnish.
    • Remove drumheads by removing tension rods with drum keys and cutting tools.
    • Play instruments to evaluate their sound quality and to locate any defects.
    • Repair cracks in wood or metal instruments, using pinning wire, lathes, fillers, clamps, or soldering irons.
    • Remove dents and burrs from metal instruments, using mallets and burnishing tools.
    • Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
    • Disassemble instruments and parts for repair and adjustment.
    • Adjust felt hammers on pianos to increase tonal mellowness or brilliance, using sanding paddles, lacquer, or needles.
    • Deliver pianos to purchasers or to locations of their use.
    • Shape old parts and replacement parts to improve tone or intonation, using hand tools, lathes, or soldering irons.
    • Shape old parts and replacement parts to improve tone or intonation, using hand tools, lathes, or soldering irons.
    • Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
    • Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
    • Clean, sand, and paint parts of percussion instruments to maintain their condition.
    • Reassemble instruments following repair, using hand tools and power tools and glue, hair, yarn, resin, or clamps, and lubricate instruments as necessary.
    • Mix and measure glue that will be used for instrument repair.
    • Remove irregularities from tuning pins, strings, and hammers of pianos, using wood blocks or filing tools.
    • Clean, sand, and paint parts of percussion instruments to maintain their condition.
    • String instruments, and adjust trusses and bridges of instruments to obtain specified string tensions and heights.
    • Test tubes and pickups in electronic amplifier units, and solder parts and connections as necessary.

    Skills

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    3
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    Knowledge

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 43530/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 20.93/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 120
    • Yearly Projected Openings 10

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Persistence
    • Independence
    • Achievement/Effort

    Tools

    • Air hoses
    • Alcohol lamp
    • Alignment jig
    • Allen wrench
    • Angle gauge
    • Anvils
    • Applicator brushes
    • Arbors
    • Artist knives
    • Audio mixing consoles
    • Automatic lathe or chucking machine
    • Awls
    • Belt sander
    • Bench grinder
    • Blow pipe
    • Blow torch
    • Boring tool
    • Burnisher
    • C clamps
    • Cable bender
    • Calibration weights or weight sets
    • Calipers
    • Center punch
    • Chamfering machine
    • Cleaning brushes
    • Cold chisels
    • Compressed air gun
    • Conduit benders
    • Countersink tool or counterbore tool
    • Curved nose pliers
    • Depth gauges
    • Diagonal cut pliers
    • Die stocks
    • Dip tanks
    • Disc sander
    • Dollies
    • Drill gauge
    • Drilling machines
    • Electronic instrument tuner
    • End cut pliers
    • Extending clamp
    • Feeler gauges
    • Flaring tool
    • Flat nose pliers
    • Fluorescent lamps
    • Gas burners
    • Gas compressors
    • General purpose motor AC
    • Glue guns
    • Guide jig
    • Hacksaw
    • Hammers
    • Hand clamps
    • Hand or push drill
    • Hand reamer
    • Hand sander
    • Hand sprayers
    • Heat guns
    • Heating or drying equipment or accessories
    • Height gauges
    • Hex keys
    • Hold down clamps
    • Hole saws
    • Hook wrenches
    • Humidifiers
    • Humidity sensor
    • Incandescent lamps
    • Inspection mirror
    • Ironing machines or presses
    • Jacks
    • Knife file
    • Laboratory forceps
    • Laboratory heaters
    • Laboratory spoon
    • Lapping machine
    • Levels
    • Lighters
    • Locking pliers
    • Loupes
    • Magnetic tools
    • Magnetizer demagnetizer devices
    • Magnifiers
    • Mallets
    • Manual wire straighteners
    • Metal cutters
    • Micrometers
    • Multimeters
    • Needle file
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Nut drivers
    • Oil lubricator
    • Packing hooks
    • Planes
    • Positioning jig
    • Power buffers
    • Power drills
    • Power routers
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Precision file
    • Pressure indicators
    • Protractors
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Radius gauge
    • Rotary paper or fabric cutter
    • Round file
    • Rulers
    • Sand blasting machine
    • Sash clamp
    • Saw blades
    • Saws
    • Screw clamps
    • Screw extractors
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Shears
    • Soldering iron
    • Spacers or standoffs
    • Specialty wrenches
    • Spray gun
    • Straight edges
    • Surface thermometers
    • T handle tap wrenches
    • Telescoping gauge
    • Tenoner or tenoning machine
    • Tension testers
    • Thickness measuring devices
    • Thread counters or gauges
    • Threading die hand tool
    • Tinners snips
    • Tongs
    • Torque wrenches
    • Torx keys
    • Tube bending machine
    • Tuning bars
    • Tuning forks
    • Tuning pins
    • Tweezers
    • Utility knives
    • Web clamp
    • Welding or soldering kit
    • Wire brushes
    • Wire cutters
    • Wire gauge
    • Wire wrapping tool
    • Wood chisels
    • Work benches

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software

    Tags

    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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