Career profile · 49-9063
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.
What the work can involve
- Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
- Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
- Play instruments to evaluate their sound quality and to locate any defects.
- Disassemble instruments and parts for repair and adjustment.
- Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
- Reassemble instruments following repair, using hand tools and power tools and glue, hair, yarn, resin, or clamps, and lubricate instruments as necessary.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Monitoring
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- Fine Arts
- English Language
- Administration and Management
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Getting Information
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Thinking Creatively
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Occasional contact with others | 33.3%08/2025 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Once a month or more but not every week | 40.0%08/2025 · sample 20 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 66.7%08/2025 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 52.4%08/2025 · sample 21 |
| Spend Time Sitting | About half the time | 40.9%08/2025 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 42.9%08/2025 · sample 21 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 86.4%08/2025 · sample 22 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 54.5%08/2025 · sample 22 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 47.6%08/2025 · sample 21 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 50.0%08/2025 · sample 22 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Katsura Shareware KS Strobe Tuner, Katsura Shareware ProLevel, Katsura Shareware SoundFrames, Mensurix Audio
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for musical instrument repairers and tuners
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 35 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not published | Not published | 40 |
| Arizona | $37,850 | $18.20 | 110 |
| California | $47,580 | $22.88 | 520 |
| Colorado | $43,670 | $21.00 | 70 |
| Connecticut | $52,940 | $25.45 | 40 |
| Florida | $44,030 | $21.17 | 140 |
| Georgia | $29,640 | $14.25 | 100 |
| Illinois | $49,250 | $23.68 | 200 |
| Indiana | $38,440 | $18.48 | 150 |
| Iowa | $38,700 | $18.61 | 90 |
| Kansas | $43,680 | $21.00 | 80 |
| Maine | $48,530 | $23.33 | 90 |
| Maryland | $55,130 | $26.50 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $46,820 | $22.51 | 130 |
| Michigan | $59,570 | $28.64 | 210 |
| Minnesota | $44,230 | $21.27 | 100 |
| Mississippi | $23,980 | $11.53 | Not published |
| Missouri | $47,220 | $22.70 | 110 |
| Nevada | $38,500 | $18.51 | 90 |
| New Jersey | $58,730 | $28.24 | 200 |
| New York | $53,420 | $25.68 | 270 |
| North Carolina | $42,970 | $20.66 | Not published |
| North Dakota | $46,780 | $22.49 | 30 |
| Ohio | $39,900 | $19.19 | 230 |
| Oklahoma | $31,160 | $14.98 | 60 |
| Oregon | $54,800 | $26.35 | 40 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,520 | $22.85 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $44,870 | $21.57 | 90 |
| Tennessee | $58,730 | $28.24 | 300 |
| Texas | $48,250 | $23.20 | 580 |
| Utah | $50,180 | $24.13 | 60 |
| Virginia | $45,140 | $21.70 | 120 |
| Washington | $43,330 | $20.83 | 150 |
| West Virginia | $38,920 | $18.71 | 30 |
| Wisconsin | $46,540 | $22.37 | 180 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 29 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 49-9063.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.