30 Mar 2025 Artist of the Month: Barry Bradshaw
By Rita Halter Thomas
Barry Bradshaw of Conway is remarkably talented and familiar with the stage, but the result of his performance is usually heard and not seen. Until his retirement in 2021, he took center stage as the area’s premier piano technician, giving performers ivories tuned to perfection.
“There is a difference between a technician and a tuner,” said Bradshaw, founder of Bradshaw Piano Service. “When electronic tuners came out, you could pull out your credit card and buy a tuner, but that doesn’t make you a technician.”
The third-generation piano technician is an aural tuner, meaning he doesn’t use electronic devices, just his ears and his tools, all of which fit into a small black cylindrical bag. During the interview, Bradshaw carefully removed and presented his tuning hammer lever tool, purchased in 1941 by his grandfather for Bradshaw’s dad. In 1973, the tool was handed down to Bradshaw, who has used it exclusively since. The pristine condition of the 84-year-old tool is a reflection of the meticulous care and attention he applied to his profession. Good work and integrity gained him referrals. Referrals built his reputation. His reputation made him the best.
Not everyone can tune a Steinway grand within 45 minutes of sound check with a pianist flown in from New York sitting alongside the bench requesting (or demanding) the sound be lighter or less bright. But Bradshaw has. He’s even sat in the audience, tools in his lap, prepared to make adjustments between sets to produce perfection. His unique gift has given him the opportunity to tune for celebrities like John Denver and Elton John. His talent was even called upon to tune for a performance by Bono and The Edge of U2 at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center Dedication in 2004.
Bradshaw’s sales and experience resulted in relationships with people like Susan Walton (daughter-in-law of the late Sam Walton), who would call him directly to purchase Steinway pianos and donate them to schools. “For those who don’t know, the Steinway is the Rolls-Royce of pianos,” he said.
Bradshaw’s wife, Phyllis, also has extensive experience in factory piano production supervision and training. “She was the trainer,” he said of her 27 years at the Conway Baldwin Grand factory. “She taught recurrent training and all new hires.”
After Baldwin, Phyllis worked beside her husband at Bradshaw Piano Service, particularly in restoration. One such project was restoring a 100-year-old Steinway, which is now at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope. Another was an 1860s J.A. Gray square grand piano for Arkansas State University before it was delivered to Lakeport Plantation in Lake Village, a museum in Southeast Arkansas.
Bradshaw’s specialized expertise is evident as he explained the difference in sound quality. For example, when the musician strikes a key, the condition of the felt on the hammer connected to the key affects the quality of the sound when it strikes the associated string. “A technician knows how to make the sound lighter, less metallic,” he said. He explained that soft felts produce a lighter sound, while hard felts produce heavier, more metallic tones.
Overall, Bradshaw spent 52 consecutive years in piano sales, restoration, repair, service and tuning. He’s tuned more than 30,000 pianos. Apprenticing under his father at 15 years old, Bradshaw has never had any other job. Throughout his career, he owned three piano dealerships, worked eight years at Little Rock Steinway & Sons as their chief technician and service manager, and worked 16 years as the quality control manager at Baldwin (before it closed in 2008). Having a strong work ethic instilled in him by his father and grandfather, Bradshaw also opened and grew his own side business tuning and servicing pianos. In 2003, he left Baldwin to work on Bradshaw Piano Service full-time.
Among his noteworthy accomplishments is serving as the resident piano technician for the University of Central Arkansas for 10 years. “At the time, they had 52 pianos. I tuned them every semester and before every concert or recital,” he said. With more than 1,800 regular clients, Bradshaw tuned anywhere from three to eight pianos per day, from colleges and schools to churches and individuals. And his clients trusted him. “Many of them would just leave the door unlocked for me,” he said.
In 2021, he sold his business to his apprentice, Ryan Jackson, a musician and performer who was looking for something more sustainable with family-friendly hours. Bradshaw said Jackson doesn’t need help tuning, so his mentoring is mostly on repair and restoration. “He’ll call me if he has a question, and we’ll get together and work through it,” he said.
Since retirement, Bradshaw has published a couple of books about the business and flipped a few houses with his wife, and now they are trying to slow down a bit, enjoy their family and travel.
When asked about the growing popularity of electric keyboards and the future of piano technicians, Bradshaw said he gets it. “They are portable and convenient. They don’t require tuning, but they are a computer, programmed to do what they do,” he said, explaining the sound just cannot be compared to the authentic sound of a well-tuned acoustic piano.
Years ago, piano lessons were once insisted upon by parents. But Bradshaw said kids today have so many other things to distract them. “Back then, kids didn’t have television or computers and cellphones. If there was a piano in the house, it was seen as a symbol of affluence,” he said. Today, not so much. But the music scene in the 501 is alive and well, and music directors and band teachers often tout the benefits of kids learning music, both psychologically and academically. Learning to play the piano provides a great foundation for all areas of music.
Bradshaw’s contributions to music performances may not have been seen center stage when the curtains lifted, but his impact on the ivories have pleased many performers and listeners over the years, a remarkable career worthy of a standing ovation.
