Official education path
In a four-year dual apprenticeship, you learn to make, tune, and maintain tin pipes for organ building and restoration.
Top HR
Swiss professionsDesign & Crafts
Zinnpfeifenmacher/in EFZ
You craft and tune tin pipes for historical and modern organs
01 · Overview
What this profession is about
During your apprenticeship, you learn to make, tune, and maintain tin pipes for organ building and restoration.
You combine craftsmanship with music. You make tin pipes by hand in your workshop or directly at the organ site. You plan orders, melt metal, and tune every note precisely. With great care, you create sound bodies that will make music for generations. This job requires precision, a musical ear, and patience. You shape music with your hands.
FieldDesign & Crafts
Education pathVocational Training (Apprenticeship)
IndustryArt & Crafts
Swissdoc 0.821.17.0
02 · Salary
What you can earn
No verified Swiss salary data is available for this profession yet.
Salaries reflect Swiss market data. Range covers entry to senior. Salary reference based on Zinnpfeifenmacher/in EFZ.
03 · Pathway
How to enter and grow
- 🎓 Zinnpfeifenmacher/in EFZ
- ⏱ 4 Jahre
Typical training path
Zinnpfeifenmacher/in EFZ
Curriculum
- Abwickeln von Aufträgen
- Herstellen und Reparieren von Musikinstrumenten
- Warten und Regulieren von Musikinstrumenten
- Spielfertigmachen von Musikinstrumenten
Prerequisites
- obligatorische Schule abgeschlossen
Requirements
- handwerkliches Geschick
- räumliches Vorstellungsvermögen
- musikalisches Gehör
- Sorgfalt und genaue Arbeitsweise
- feinmotorische Fähigkeiten
- 1Abwickeln von Aufträgen
- 2Herstellen und Reparieren von Musikinstrumenten
- 3Warten und Regulieren von Musikinstrumenten
- 4Spielfertigmachen von Musikinstrumenten
04 · Skills & fit
What it takes
Required skills
- Craftsmanship
- Musical ear
- Careful work style
- Spatial thinking
Personality fit
- Swiss career path
- Career transition
- Professional growth
05 · Daily reality
What the work feels like
Typical day
You stand at your workbench and check the metal sheets for thickness and quality. Using the melting furnace, casting tools, and tuning fork set, you focus intently on the next pipe.
- You create detailed quotes and cost estimates for organ building orders.
- You take on client requests and check if they are suitable.
- You plan work processes and choose the right tools and materials.
- You draw technical drawings of the individual pipe parts.
- You melt tin and lead into a stable alloy.
- You cast metal sheets and cut the pipe parts from them.
- You weld individual parts together and cut the tubes to the exact length.
- You tune the finished pipes precisely according to acoustic specifications.
- You clean the instruments and adjust the sound if needed.
Working conditions
You work in specialized pipe workshops or directly at the organ installation sites. Common workplaces are churches, educational institutions, or concert halls.
Where to learn
- Interessengemeinschaft der Musikinstrumentenbauer IGMIB c/o Elin Office AGNordring 10a, 3013 Bern
Strengths
- Craftsmanship
- Musical ear
- Careful work style
- Spatial thinking
Trade-offs
- Physical strain
- Niche market
- High precision
- Travel effort
06 · Similar
