Meisterprüfung Musikinstrumentenerzeuger study plan

List the ten most common instrument woods, glues, and finishes used in your specific instrument family and state one working property and one failure mode for each

Demonstrate three core hand-tool joinery operations (e.g., jointing a plate seam, fitting a brace, cutting a bridge blank) and record the tolerances you achieved

Explain the sequence of building one instrument from rough lumber to first string-up, naming the workshop stage and the quality check at each step

Describe how plate thickness, bracing pattern, and wood stiffness interact to shape the instrument's tonal response, using at least three material-science terms correctly

Measure and record moisture content, density, and grain orientation for five sample boards and interpret what each reading means for construction

Explain the physics of the vibrating string and the resonator in your instrument family, including the roles of tension, mass, and scale length

Produce a dimensioned technical drawing of one component (e.g., a bridge, a peg, a key mechanism part) to a stated scale with tolerances and material callouts

Calculate at least three acoustic or mechanical quantities relevant to your instrument (e.g., string tension, bridge downbearing, soundpost fit geometry) and show the working

Draft a construction documentation sheet that a colleague could follow without asking you questions

Complete a full build or repair task on a practice instrument and document every deviation from the drawing

Revise your technical drawing after the build and explain in writing why each change was needed

Self-assess your craftsmanship against the Meister-level quality criteria you wrote in week one and identify the three weakest points

Calculate a full cost estimate for one instrument or restoration job, separating material, labour hours, overhead, and risk margin

Set a defensible selling price and break-even point for that job and explain the pricing logic in writing

Draft a simple business plan section covering target customers, workshop capacity, and investment needs

Summarise the legal duties of a self-employed instrument maker in your jurisdiction regarding registration, insurance, and record-keeping, flagging anything you must verify with an official source

Outline the structure of vocational training in your trade, including the roles of the training company, the school, and the chamber

Explain the main branches of social security relevant to you and an employee, and identify which contributions apply to each

Identify the main hazards in your workshop (dust, solvents, noise, hand-tool and machine risks) and specify one control measure for each

Explain the correct selection and use of personal protective equipment and dust extraction for your typical tasks

Describe how to store, label, and dispose of the hazardous materials you actually use, in line with waste and environmental rules

Apply restoration ethics to three realistic scenarios (e.g., a requested irreversible modification, a historic instrument, a customer's budget limit) and justify your recommendation in each

Perform a structured instrument valuation using condition, provenance, materials, and market comparables, and document your reasoning

Practise a customer consultation: explain options, risks, and costs clearly, and write a short summary the customer could sign