Career Explorer Installation and repair
Human edge, steady
Musical instrument repairers and tuners
Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 74% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +1.9% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on physical dexterity.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $46,420
- Job growth to 2035
- +1.9%
- Openings a year
- 600
- People doing it (2025)
- 6,000
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then an apprenticeship
Where people already use AI for this work
- Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance
- Test performance of equipment or systems
- Prepare mixtures or solutions
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Repair tools or equipment
- Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment
- Disassemble equipment
What the work looks like
- Align pads and keys on reed or wind instruments.
- Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
- Solder posts and parts to hold them in their proper places.
- Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
- Play instruments to evaluate their sound quality and to locate any defects.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Industrial machinery mechanicsHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +17.8%
- Rail car repairersHuman edge, steady, Index 85, +2.6%
- Automotive body and related repairersHuman edge, growing, Index 84, +3.7%
- Recreational vehicle service techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +9.7%
Also known as: Instrument Repair Technician (Instrument Repair Tech), Luthier, Piano Technician (Piano Tech), Piano Tuner, Brass Instrument Repair Technician (Brass Instrument Repair Tech), Fretted String Instrument Repairer, Guitar Repairer, Musical Instrument Repair Technician (Musical Instrument Repair Tech).
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.