This is the story about how I came to have the fascination I do with the piano.  I’ll never forget my first piano growing up as a 6 year old kid. I can remember my dad and three other men struggling to get that old upright piano out of the back of a pickup truck, struggling up the steps and into our front room. I can remember experimenting around with the piano, hitting the keys loudly and softly, short and long, one or as many keys as I could play at the same time. Later I remember how the piano tuner came in and started taking it apart that first time to tune it.  While I stood there fascinated, watching his every move, he said something to me that I can still remember like it was today.  Even though it’s been 50 years ago, I can remember him saying, “Nothing happens boy, till the hammer hits the strings.” “Till the hammer hits the strings.”  I had no idea how that one little statement would affect the rest of my life. Standing there that day looking into the mysterious insides of that piano I was hooked for life. How the hammer hits the strings became the model for the full discourse of piano lore and craft for me.  That old tuner didn’t realize how soundly he had summed up the essence of the piano.  How those few words opened a lifetime search for me about excellence in pianos. He set me on a course of learning all I could about pianos and over the last 30 years I have worked rebuilding, voicing, playing and maintaining a wide range of pianos from mediocre to fine. My study has led me on a continuing journey to learn all I possibly can about pianos.

In my 30 years experience in the music industry I have had many wonderful opportunities.  I have achieved the rating Registered Piano Technician, rebuilt pianos, am an authorized player piano installer, a professional pianist, a former church music director and an accompanist. Through my ownership of a retail piano store I have been able to study piano technology with Franz Moore of Steinway,  La Roy Edwards, Bill Brandom, and Lloyd Whitcomb of Yamaha, Kent Webb of Baldwin, Alan Vincent of Petrof and formerly of Baldwin, Don Mannino of Kawai and Ray Chandler of Boesendorfer.
I’m a 30-year professional musician and church musician.  During my tenure at different dealers I’ve sold and serviced Kawai, Yamaha, Baldwin, Young Chang, Samick, Petrof, Steinway, Kohler & Campbell, Wurlitzer, Weber, Hyundai, Chickering, Mason & Hamlin, Seiler, Schulze-Pollmann and other brands.  I believe that by maintaining the tuning and service on all these different brands I have gained extensive knowledge about piano integrity.  By being an active member of the PTG, I also have the comments and evaluations of hundreds of other RPT’s around the world about their experiences with pianos as well.

After graduating from college with a B.S. in Music Education I took a job in retail sales.  On my breaks I would wander down to the music store in the mall where I met the piano tuner that store employed.   He understood my fascination for the piano and began to answer questions and show me what he was doing.  Shortly after that I left my other job and went to work for that company in piano and organ sales. As I began learning about selling pianos, I discovered that what I was taught for presentation on the sales floor was often different than what the piano tuner was telling me about pianos. Marketing I learned has more to do with selling a story than selling a piano.

And now Marlene...

Marlene has a Piano Performance degree from the University of Indianapolis.  She has studied with James Kantarze, William Eltzroth, and Dorothy Munger, late pianist for the Indianapolis Symphony.  She has accompanied symphony members, the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, done choral reading sessions for Hal Leonard, Shawnee Press and has worked as a studio recording artist and taught piano lessons for over thirty years.  She is presently the full-time Director of Music at St. Matthew Catholic Church.
Marlene has played for hundreds of weddings, funerals, and private parties, coordinates weddings and other events as well.

Next is Sarah Scharbrough

She has her own thing going on but is still very much part of the family. Take a look at the links on the right. ====>

Stephen Scharbrough

Stephen has started his own successful tuning and service business. You can reach Stephen at IndyTuner.com.

Last but not least is Suzanne Scharbrough

Athough an incredible vocalist in her own right, she is taking a slightly different path. Having just recently passed her board exam, Suzanne is going into Nursing as an RN. But...she did marry a drummer. ;-)