Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
What Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Do
Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
- Self-employed
- 9.8%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.8/5
- Fine Artsimportance 3.5/5
- English Languageimportance 3.4/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.9/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 2.9/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.8/5
- Physicsimportance 2.7/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.9/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.9/5
- Telephone Conversations4.8/5
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.7/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Watch and Clock Repairers93% skill match
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand91% skill match
- Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters90% skill match
- Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics90% skill match
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners90% skill match
- Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians89% skill match
- Automotive Body and Related Repairers89% skill match
- Printing Press Operators89% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.9/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.8/5
- Repairingimportance 3.8/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
- Equipment Selectionimportance 3.0/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Katsura Shareware KS Strobe Tuner
- Katsura Shareware ProLevel
- Katsura Shareware SoundFrames
- Mensurix Audio
- Reyburn CyberTuner
- TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome
- Tunable Instrument Tuner
- TuneLab
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Achievement Orientation
- Innovation
- Intellectual Curiosity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- ArtisticMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where musical instrument repairers and tuners make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Lansing-East Lansing, MI8.30× national avg
- 2Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN6.38× national avg
- 3Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV1.83× national avg
- 4Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV1.51× national avg
- 5San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA1.46× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Watch and Clock RepairersLateral Move
- Timing Device Assemblers and AdjustersCareer Change
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service TechniciansLateral Move
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and SharpenersCareer Change
See the full career path from Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Watchmaking and Jewelrymaking
- Sonoran Desert Institute (Tempe, AZ)grads earn ~$54,922
- Sonoran Desert Institute (Tempe, AZ)grads earn ~$85,119
- Colorado School of Trades (Lakewood, CO)grads earn ~$44,411
- Montgomery Community College (Troy, NC)
- Paris Junior College (Paris, TX)