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DesignISCO 7312

Piano maker

A piano maker is a person who makes and assembles the parts that go into a grand or an upright piano, working to defined instructions or drawings, and who sands the wood, tunes, tests and inspects the finished instrument. Building the piano and tuning it belong to the same occupation rather than to two.

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Rate 5 of the 17 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

restore musical instruments

repair musical instruments

join wood elements

create musical instrument parts

maintain musical instruments

About piano maker

Wood is the first material. The maker works the wood, applies protective coatings, and works from a knowledge of the materials used in musical instrument manufacture. Wood is shaped, joined and sanded into the parts of the case and the action, and the protective layer guards the finished surfaces against damage.

Metal is the second. The maker carries out metalworking on the parts that are not wooden, from the frame and the strings to the thousands of small components in the action, and makes musical instrument parts to the dimensions the design requires. A piano is an assembly of a very large number of parts, and the tolerance of each one is small.

Tuning closes the build. The maker applies tuning techniques, tunes keyboard instruments, and cares for instruments once they are finished.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (17)

musical instrumentsmusical instrumentsThe different musical instruments, their ranges, timbre, and possible combinations.metalworkingmetalworkingThe process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large-scale structures.tuning techniquestuning techniquesTuning pitches and techniques and musical temperaments for the various instruments.musical instruments materialsmusical instruments materialsThe characteristics of composite materials, felts, glues, leathers and skins, metals and precious metals, woods and wood derivatives to create musical instruments.restore musical instrumentsrestore musical instrumentsRestore old musical instruments to their original condition and conserve them in that state.repair musical instrumentsrepair musical instrumentsAttach new strings, fix frames or replace broken parts of musical instruments.join wood elementsjoin wood elementsBind wooden materials together using a variety of techniques and materials. Determine the optimal technique to join the elements, like stapling, nail, gluing or screwing. Determine the correct work or...create musical instrument partscreate musical instrument partsDesign and create parts such as keys, reeds, bows, and others for musical instruments.maintain musical instrumentsmaintain musical instrumentsCheck and maintain musical instruments.manipulate woodmanipulate woodManipulate the properties, shape and size of wood.create smooth wood surfacecreate smooth wood surfaceShave, plane and sand wood manually or automatically to produce a smooth surface.apply a protective layerapply a protective layerApply a layer of protective solutions such as permethrine to protect the product from damage such as corrosion, fire or parasites, using a spray gun or paintbrush.sand woodsand woodUse sanding machines or hand tools to remove paint or other substances from the surface of the wood, or to smoothen and finish the wood.make bowstringsmake bowstringsSelect the right amount of thread, depending on the strength of the bow and of the thread itself and coat the thread with wax or resin and weave it to obtain the cord. When the desired length is reach...produce piano componentsproduce piano componentsChoose the appropriate materials and tools, and build the different piano parts such as frames, pedal mechanisms, keyboards and strings.assemble musical instrument partsassemble musical instrument partsAssemble parts together such as the body, strings, buttons, keys, and others to create the final musical instrument.tune keyboard music instrumentstune keyboard music instrumentsTune any parts of keyboard musical instruments that are off-key, by using various tuning techniques.
Optional (21) — show
acousticsacousticsThe study of sound, its reflection, amplification and absorption in a space.conservation techniquesconservation techniquesThe procedures, instruments, techniques, materials and chemicals used in conservation and archiving.technical drawingstechnical drawingsDrawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.organic building materialsorganic building materialsThe types and processing of organic materials to build products or parts of products.3D modelling3D modellingThe process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of an object via specialised software. The product is called a 3D model. It can be displayed as a two-dimension...history of musical instrumentshistory of musical instrumentsThe historical background and chronology of various musical instruments.musical instrument accessoriesmusical instrument accessoriesThe process of creating musical instrument accessories, such as metronomes, tuning forks or stands.pass on trade techniquespass on trade techniquesPass on knowledge and skills, explain and demonstrate the application of equipment and materials and answer questions about trade techniques for the manufacturing of products.apply restoration techniquesapply restoration techniquesSelect and apply appropriate restoration techniques in order to achieve the required restoration goals. This encompasses preventive measures, remedial measures, restoration processes and management pr...evaluate restoration proceduresevaluate restoration proceduresEvaluate the outcome of conservation and restoration procedures. Evaluate the degree of risk, success of treatment or activity and communicate the results.decorate musical instrumentsdecorate musical instrumentsCreate designs on musical instruments by using methods such as embossing, piercing, painting, woodworking, weaving, and other methods.estimate value of musical instrumentsestimate value of musical instrumentsIdentify new or second hand musical instruments and estimate the market value of them based on professional judgment and knowledge of musical instruments, or subject them to estimation by a third part...stain woodstain woodMix ingredients to create a stain and apply a layer to the furniture to give it a specific colour and finish.identify customer's needsidentify customer's needsUse appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.verify product specificationsverify product specificationsCheck heights, colour and other attributes of finished product against specifications.design musical instrumentsdesign musical instrumentsDevelop and design a musical instrument according to customer specification.estimate restoration costsestimate restoration costsEstimate the cost implications of restoring and replacing products or parts.play musical instrumentsplay musical instrumentsManipulate purpose-built or improvised instruments to produce musical sounds.dye wooddye woodMix the powder dye with water and/or liquid dye and any other necessary ingredients to create the desired colour and apply it to the wood.select restoration activitiesselect restoration activitiesDetermine restoration needs and requirements and plan the activities. Consider the desired results, the level of intervention required, evaluation of alternatives, constraints on actions, stakeholder ...trade in musical instrumentstrade in musical instrumentsBuy and sell musical instruments, or serve as an intermediate between potential buyers and sellers.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a piano maker do?

Piano makers create and assemble parts to make pianos according to specified instructions or diagrams. They sand wood, tune, test and inspect the finished instrument.

What skills does a piano maker need?

A piano maker needs 17 essential skills, including musical instruments, metalworking, tuning techniques, musical instruments materials, restore musical instruments.

Will AI replace piano maker jobs?

The AI disruption score for piano maker is 12/100 (very low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: verify product specifications, estimate restoration costs, technical drawings. Most resilient: restore musical instruments, play musical instruments, musical instruments.

Quick Facts

SectorDesign
ISCO GroupHandicraft and printing workers
Essential Skills17

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