Conversations with Eric Roberts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Roberts.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The piano was a problem. A good problem, but, nonetheless, a problem. As a church worship leader, I could hardly turn down a free grand piano, but the piano was hardly in pristine condition. While the 6-foot Yamaha had not actually been burned, it had been damaged by fire. Now it sat in the center of the church stage, suffocating under a blanket of soot. I called the only guy I knew that could help. His name was Jack Hamilton.

I knew of him because he was the guy who had been tuning my sister’s little upright piano for many years. He stopped by the church that day and told me that the piano could be saved, but it needed to be cleaned and the bass strings needed to be replaced. He offered the church a discount if I agreed to help with the cleaning and re-stringing job. Right there, at that moment, my journey into the small, quirky, and satisfying world of the piano tuning trade began.

While working with Jack, I learned that there are very few young technicians entering the field and there are still hundreds of thousands of pianos that need to be tuned at least once a year. With most of the best-established technicians nearing retirement age, Jack opened my eyes to a great opportunity. He inspired me to begin training and to become a certified Master Piano Technician. I’m so glad that I started training online and working with Jack. When the housing market crashed around 2007, I lost my full-time worship leader job. That same day, I became a full-time piano technician and officially opened my piano tuning business.

That was a scary time. I remember thinking, “If I can just get five tunings a week, I think we can make it.” Five tunings turned into ten tunings. Ten tunings turned into so many I had to train and hire someone else to help meet the demand.

I have had the honor of tuning and preparing pianos for some amazing artists, including John Legend, Harry Connick Jr., Idina Menzel, Jack’s Mannequin, Tony Bennett, and many others. Some of the most rewarding moments of my career, though, are the times I have spent in the living rooms of ordinary people. They say you can learn something from everyone you meet. Tuning pianos allows me to meet new, wise, and fascinating people nearly every day, and they have taught me so much.

Borrowing from my Dad’s master skills as a tool maker and Jack’s knowledge of piano tools, I was able to publish and develop a couple of helpful tools for the piano industry. I co-wrote and published Jack’s voicing method called Rapid Voicer. We also developed a carbon fiber tuning lever called the SHARK. Our tools and methods are now being used by piano technicians all over the world.

In 2017, I moved and expanded my business to Nashville. I left the day-to-day operations in Dayton, Ohio, to my partner, Todd Anderson.

When I arrived in Nashville, I set up a new video and podcast studio and launched Apex Piano Technicians Network, an online training academy for piano technicians. (www.apexpiano.com) Through video courses and online mentorship, I help people learn the trade and start their own successful piano tuning businesses. I also publish several other YouTube channels, a series of songbooks and a Podcast focused on training musicians and worship bands. (www.worshiptheking.com).

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Running a business can be stressful and challenging in many ways, but I have always loved the hustle and the excitement. Owning a piano tuning business has allowed me the flexibility to focus on my family and some of my other creative ventures along the way. When my son August was just 6 months old, we started doing Daddy Day. Every Thursday, I take a pause from the pressure of running a business and we hang out all day.

Sometimes it’s a big adventure that we plan out. Other times, it’s just a trip to the playground and Taco Bell. If I have a pressing need from a client, Augie comes along. I knew I didn’t want to miss these years with my little boy, so I made this a priority. It has been an amazing blessing. This business has allowed me to bring my family along on the journey.

The piano itself, because of its extreme complexity, will challenge you every time. It never gets old and it never lets up. My creative and technical brains are continually working to achieve great tuning so the piano player can make great music. Tuning pianos keeps me grounded in a creative space and at the same time forces me to stay focused on success as a business owner.

At the end of tuning, I always play a few songs. I listen closely to the way the piano plays and reacts to the tuning and voicing. Finally, when I feel I’ve made it the best it can be that day, I breathe a sigh of relief and feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in the tuning, voicing, and preparation of pianos for recordings and performances as well as tuning, repair, regulation, and consultation for anyone in the Nashville area. If your piano needs to be tuned right now, you can book an appointment with me online and see a list of my clients and reviews at www.apexpianonashville.com.

The question I get asked the most is, “How often should a piano be tuned?” The piano will go out of tune when the humidity changes, so it is best to tune the piano about twice per year, or when the seasons change. If that sounds like a lot, let me add this perspective. For performances or studio recordings, the piano will be tuned every day or before every performance. Just remember that your piano gets better and better over time with consistent tuning.

I have had a lot of help and guidance along the way. I am especially thankful to Jack Hamilton (the piano wizard), my mentor and the one who inspired me to pursue this creative venture. Jack passed away this year and I think of him often. Almost every time I sit down to tune a piano, he crosses my mind. His philosophy, his music, and his passion for the piano left an impact on me. I hope through my online school, training materials, and published works, his legacy will be passed along to many others. Jack often said, “Don’t fool yourself thinking that anything will last forever. Nothing lasts forever.

You may get it perfect for this moment, but everything changes”. He understood the art of perfection at the moment. That’s what we are striving for as musicians. We are looking for those moments when it all comes together and it feels perfect. That moment when we have achieved something beautiful and we can enjoy it for just that moment. That’s how it is when you tune a piano. The second you get up and walk away, the piano begins to go out of tune, and it will keep going out of tune until the next time you bring it back to perfection…. but just for that moment.

You can view all of my work regarding pianos, podcasts, online coaching, and current music and video production projects at www.agency43.com.

During my work inside pianos, I sometimes find the perfect creative shot and snap a photo. You Can view some of these photos and even hang one on your wall by checking out the collection at this link: https://www.imagekind.com/artists/holdingaugust/Piano/fine-art-prints.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I have two pictures from childhood that I have hung onto over the years. One is a picture of my brother and me tinkering with tools. I have a small 2×4 and some nails. There I am kneeling down on the patio with my tongue sticking out just a bit, signaling extreme concentration.

The other is a 6-year-old me holding a guitar in front of the Christmas tree. With close to 12,000 moving parts, the grand piano is a complex and marvelous instrument that hasn’t changed much in the past 100 years. I’ve always loved to tinker and always loved music.

Working on the piano is a perfect balance of both technical and musical skills that I find very satisfying.

Contact Info:

• Website: apexpianonashville.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericroberts43/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apexpianonashville
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericroberts43
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ApexPianoTechniciansNetwork/videos
• Other: http://www.agency43.com