Overseas employment

[Bernhard Stopper]

Due to european law harmionisation acts it is since 2004 no longer 
necessary to have the Meister title in germany
to open a piano workshop. The same is true for other music business:
You can take a cigar box and mount some wire on it and name it a 
violin...and name yourself a violin maker.
The market will regulate this.

regards,

Bernhard Stopper


Richard Brekne schrieb:
> I would be very interested to hear from any of our German or central 
> European readers if the below statement is correct.  There are a very 
> few here in Norway who declare themselves to be BKD certified 
> <<Klavierbaur>> and indeed translate this to mean Piano Builders / 
> Makers.  None of these are Meisters and none of them could even begin 
> to really build a piano. This fact has been a moment of irritation for 
> more then a few... especially those who actually do have some 
> significant rebuilding skills but have not been through any german 
> factory training.  If the correct translation is Piano Builder 
> Helper... or more likely Piano Technician.... then it seems to me they 
> should be required to represent their certification more in accordance 
> with what it actually is.  If their diploma actually does on the other 
> hand simply state Klavierbaur... I would submit the term is entirely 
> misleading.  These fellows have no idea of how to scale a piano, how 
> to install a soundboard, rarely how to measure and notch a bridge.... 
> indeed most of them seem to have little or no real experience with 
> grands.  I mean what can you expect in three years of apprenticeship 
> in a factory situation where you are first and formost required to be 
> able to contribute to the production line enough to justify your 
> presence there. Heck... tuning alone requires the better part of one 
> years work.
>
> A bit of clarification would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Cheers
> RicB
>
>
>    What you probably mean as the lower degree "Klavierbauer" is a 
> shortcut
>    of  the degree "Klavierbauergeselle" what means literarilly
>    "piano builder helper", and is the first degree after apprentice.
>    The use of the title Klavierbauer, implies that you have the master
>    title in germany.
>
>