The Right Way To Move A Piano
How do you move a piano? Very carefully.
Okay, I am being a small harsh, but moving a piano is a serious endeavor.
I’m a large disciple of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it’s not difficult to damage a piano while moving it. I’m talking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my oldsters purchased new for me when I used to be a kid. That piano was a big score to me after having played on an old “clunker” of a piano for many years. I played that new piano each day.
When I got married it was time to move the piano to my personal home. My partner and his siblings moved it themselves. It wasn’t a simple job even with the moving dolly they used ( pianos weigh many hundred pounds - grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds ). The newbie move of my piano ended in each of the piano legs being damaged (a common occurrence when folk move a piano themselves ) and some unplanned internal work ( some pins required fix and a string broke). I should have hired a piano mover. Then I would not had those issues, but my husband and I thought we might save money by doing it ourselves. It seemed to be a lesson I should have remembered, but I was dumb a 2nd time.
A few years ago my man and I constructed a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my partner was reluctant to hire somebody to move it professionally because our pocketbook was already feeling empty from the cost of building the house ( he called our new house a “money-sucking black hole.” ) In his mind, moving it wasn’t a giant deal. Our new house was less than 2 miles from our old one; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was ready to help him.
Everything went O.K till my husband turned into the driveway of our new home. The sharpness of the turn strained the ropes holding the piano on the trailer and they broke. The piano tipped over and sustained a lot of damage ( the complete “guts” of the piano are ruined and the case is chipped and scratched ). I haven’t had it fixed yet, but I have gotten an estimation. It’s going to take a large amount of time and cash mend the piano. It must be completely reconstructed. Due to the labor involved, it might be cheaper to get a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has plenty of mawkish price to me so I’m going to have it fixed. This is why I say, “Hire a professional!”
What does a professional piano mover do to guarantee a safe and successful move? With upright pianos, they always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The complete bundle is then often put on a dolly and taken to its destination. If steps are concerned, the piano is taken off the dolly and slipped up or down the steps on the piano board.
Moving a grand piano is a little more involved. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are sometimes all removed. The piano is then put on the piano board, on its side, with the straight side down. The other legs of the piano are then removed. The piano is then covered with blankets, strapped to the board, and put on a dolly.
Some movers do not like to move a piano up or down stairs. If it’s feasible, they prefer to hoist it to the appropriate floor thru a window that is sufficiently large to accommodate the piano.
So what do you do if you simply wish to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it is truly vital to move it because there’s always the chance of damaging a piano even with a short move. Piano legs are the most probable thing to get damaged or broken.
Be extraordinarily careful to elude putting too much weight on the legs. Get some robust folk to help if the piano is an upright; and get at least 5 folks if it is a grand piano. With an upright or spinet, tilt the piano back a little to take the pressure off the front legs, but take care not to tip it back too far and tip it over. With a grand piano, lift the piano up enough to get the pressure off the legs before you try to move it. It’s not obligatory ( and not commended ) to lift the piano off the floor wholly.
If you’re going to move a piano usually consider having it fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the piano without trouble. Or, have the piano placed on a piano wagon.
How you do you find a good piano mover if you’ve decided to not try and move it yourself? My proposal is that you call your local piano store and ask them for suggestions. They’ll be able to give you the name or names of credible movers in your area.
Ok, so you’ve decided you are definitely going to move your piano and you’ve decided on a technique. Now you have to figure out where you’re going to put the piano. Where should it go?
Try to put your piano in an area of a room where there are little or no drafts, where it’s out of direct sunlight, and where the temperature and humidity are stable. The reason being because pianos are delicate to humidity and temperature. Plenty of temperature and humidity swings bring about a piano to go out of tune faster than normal, can damage the wood case, and if they are severe they even finally
Don’t place your piano over or next to a heat vent and elude placing it close to a fireplace. Don’t put in front of a window because that’s typically a drafty place as well as one with direct sunlight. Try to find a room in your home or apartment that has solidly stable temperature and humidity. That is the best room for your piano.
If you can’t find a place in your apartment or home that is out of direct sunlight, free of drafts, and does not have gigantic temperature swings, you may want to consider having a climate control system installed in your piano.
Moving and placing your piano correctly will help guarantee you have a lovely instrument to play for a long time rather than having what I now own - an outsized paperweight that should be dusted.
Tags: Music