Is becoming a luthier right for me?
The first step to choosing a career is to make sure you are actually willing to commit to pursuing the career. You don’t want to waste your time doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re new here, you should read about:
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How to become a Luthier
Traditionally, luthiers learned through apprenticeships, though now there are more opportunities for education and training. Working as an apprentice allows someone to earn money while gaining valuable experience in the field. It provides access to highly trained luthiers who may have a lot of connections in the industry. Although students cannot obtain a degree this way, the luthier might issue a certification.
Colleges and specialized trade schools offer education in maintenance, manufacturing and the repair of stringed instruments. Valuable skills for becoming a luthier include woodworking, metal shop, and design experience.
There is no one way to become a luthier, though a love for music and instruments is a huge part of what drives the most successful luthiers. It takes patience and problem solving skills to be able to work with specific materials in order for luthiers to be able to either create and/or fix instruments. For many luthiers, it may take months or even years to build one instrument.