What Does it Take to Be a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner?
Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner Job Description 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?
- Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
- Replace xylophone bars and wheels.
- Inspect instruments to locate defects, and to determine their value or the level of restoration required.
- Assemble bars onto percussion instruments.
- Solder or weld frames of mallet instruments and metal drum parts.
- String instruments, and adjust trusses and bridges of instruments to obtain specified string tensions and heights.
Featured schools near , edit
Skills Needed to be a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner
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 Regulator
- Piano Regulator-Inspector
- Pipe Organ Mechanic Apprentice
- Organ Fixer
- Fretted Instrument Repairer
Job Opportunities for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
In the United States, there were 8,300 jobs for Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner in 2016. 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.

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.
Average Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Salary
The salary for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners ranges between about $22,700 and $59,020 a year.

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 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners may use on a daily basis:
How do I Become a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner?
What kind of Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner requirements are there?

What work experience do I need to become a Musical Instrument Repairer or Tuner?

Where do Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Work?

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

References:
Image Credit: Phasmatisnox via CC BY 3.0
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |