Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Designation of occupation

Violin maker (m/f)

Duration of traineeship

3 years
The venues for training delivery are the training company and the vocational school

Field of activity

Violin makers craft, in traditional manner and independently, all types of stringed musical instruments, for example violins, violas, cellos and viole da gamba. Another important part of their work is the professional repair of stringed musical instruments.

Occupational skills

• Violin makers can recognize and distinguish between different types of stringed instrument and stringed instrument manufacture;
• select resonating woods taking due account of age, structure etc. to ensure the required properties;
• manually craft and machine wood and other natural materials, mainly by sawing, carving, planing and filing;
• craft all the components, belly and neck and assemble these into a complete stringed instrument;.
• finish the surfaces of various woods using appropriate procedures, mainly sanding, chiselling and lacquering;
• prepare the instruments to a ready-to-play state, test them for function and playability and check and
• optimize their acoustic characteristics;
• carry out repairs to stringed musical instruments in a professional manner.

Last modified on: December 12, 2006