Wind musical instrument maker

Wind musical instrument makers create and assemble parts to make wind instruments according to specified instructions and diagrams. They measure and cut the tubing for the resonator, assemble parts such as braces, slides, valves, piston, bell heads and mouth pieces, test and inspect the finished instrument.

Includes people producing smaller musical instruments or accessories, such as metronomes, tuning forks or musical boxes.

The following job titles also refer to wind musical instrument maker:

brass instrument assembler
woodwind instrument builder
woodwind instrument assembler
wind musical instrument builder
brass instrument craftsman
brass instrument builder
woodwind instrument craftswoman
brass instrument maker
brass instrument craftswoman
wind instrument maker
woodwind instrument maker
woodwind instrument craftsman

No formal educational credential is generally the minimum required to work as wind musical instrument maker.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Wind musical instrument maker is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to wind musical instrument maker.

electronic musical instrument maker
idiophone musical instruments maker
musical instrument technician
harpsichord maker
piano maker

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of wind musical instrument maker. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of wind musical instrument maker with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

bridge inspector
taxidermist
boom operator
art handler
carpenter supervisor

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of wind musical instrument maker.

• Musical instruments: The different musical instruments, their ranges, timbre, and possible combinations.
• Organic building materials: The types and processing of organic materials to build products or parts of products.
• Tuning techniques: Tuning pitches and techniques and musical temperaments for the various instruments.
• Musical instruments materials: The characteristics of composite materials, felts, glues, leathers and skins, metals and precious metals, woods and wood derivatives to create musical instruments.

These skills are necessary for the role of wind musical instrument maker.

• Repair musical instruments: Attach new strings, fix frames or replace broken parts of musical instruments.
• Create musical instrument parts: Design and create parts such as keys, reeds, bows, and others for musical instruments.
• Maintain musical instruments: Check and maintain musical instruments.
• Decorate musical instruments: Create designs on musical instruments by using methods such as embossing, piercing, painting, woodworking, weaving, and other methods.
• Apply a protective layer: Apply 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.
• Assemble musical instrument parts: Assemble parts together such as the body, strings, buttons, keys, and others to create the final musical instrument.
• Use technical documentation: Understand and use technical documentation in the overall technical process.
• Produce wind musical instrument components: Choose the appropriate materials and tools, and build the different components of wind musical instruments such as key mechanisms, leadpipes, bells and mouthpieces.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of wind musical instrument maker. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Acoustics: The study of sound, its reflection, amplification and absorption in a space.
• Woodturning: Process of shaping wood on a lathe and its types, namely spindle turning and faceplate turning.
• Conservation techniques: The procedures, instruments, techniques, materials and chemicals used in conservation and archiving.
• Technical drawings: Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.
• Metal forming technologies: The variety of technologies and techniques, such as forging, pressing, stamping, rolling and others, used for the forming processes of metal product manufacturing.
• Metalworking: The process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large-scale structures.
• History of musical instruments: The historical background and chronology of various musical instruments.
• Types of wood: Types of wood, such as birch, pine, poplar, mahogany, maple and tulipwood.
• Musical instrument accessories: The process of creating musical instrument accessories, such as metronomes, tuning forks or stands.
• Metal smoothing technologies: The various technologies used for the smoothening, polishing and buffing of fabricated metal workpieces.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of wind musical instrument maker. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Pass on trade techniques: Pass on knowledge and skills, explain and demonstrate the application of equipment and materials and answer questions about trade techniques for the manufacturing of products.
• Restore musical instruments: Restore old musical instruments to their original condition and conserve them in that state.
• Apply restoration techniques: Select and apply appropriate restoration techniques in order to achieve the required restoration goals. This encompasses preventive measures, remedial measures, restoration processes and management processes.
• Use welding equipment: Operate welding equipment in a safe manner; use welding techniques such as shielded metal arc welding or flux-cored arc welding.
• Evaluate restoration procedures: Evaluate the outcome of conservation and restoration procedures. Evaluate the degree of risk, success of treatment or activity and communicate the results.
• Manipulate wood: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of wood.
• Estimate value of musical instruments: Identify 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 party.
• Stain wood: Mix ingredients to create a stain and apply a layer to the furniture to give it a specific colour and finish.
• Create smooth wood surface: Shave, plane and sand wood manually or automatically to produce a smooth surface.
• Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
• Verify product specifications: Check heights, colour and other attributes of finished product against specifications.
• Design musical instruments: Develop and design a musical instrument according to customer specification.
• Estimate restoration costs: Estimate the cost implications of restoring and replacing products or parts.
• Analyse the need for technical resources: Define and make a list of the required resources and equipment based on the technical needs of the production.
• Cut metal products: Operate cutting and measuring instruments in order to cut/shape pieces of metal into given dimensions.
• Ensure correct metal temperature: Ensure the necessary, usually constant, temperature of processed metal workpieces during metal fabrication processes.
• Select restoration activities: Determine restoration needs and requirements and plan the activities. Consider the desired results, the level of intervention required, evaluation of alternatives, constraints on actions, stakeholder demands, possible risks and future options.
• Tend lathe: Tend a lathe designed for cutting manufacturing processes on metal, wooden, plastic materials and others, monitor and operate it, according to regulations.
• Trade in musical instruments: Buy and sell musical instruments, or serve as an intermediate between potential buyers and sellers.

7312 – Musical instrument makers and tuners

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References

1. Wind musical instrument maker – ESCO
2. Featured image: By Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA – Musical instruments on display at the MIM, CC BY 2.0