How do you move a piano? Very carefully.

Okay, I'm being a little sarcastic, but moving a piano is a
serious endeavor.

I'm a big advocate of hiring a professional mover to move a
piano. Pianos are heavy and it's easy to damage a piano while
moving it. I'm speaking from experience. I own a Kimball piano
my parents bought brand new for me when I was a child. That
piano was a big deal to me after having played on an old
"clunker" of a piano for several years. I played that new piano
every day.

When I got married it was time to move the piano to my own
home. My husband and his brothers moved it themselves. It
wasn't an easy job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos
weigh several hundred pounds – grand pianos can weigh 1,500
pounds). The amateur move of my piano resulted in both of the
piano legs being damaged (a common occurrence when people move
a piano themselves) and some unplanned internal work (some pins
needed repair and a string broke). I should have hired a piano
mover. Then I wouldn't have had those problems, but my husband
and I thought we would save money by doing it ourselves. It was
a lesson I should have remembered, but I was foolish a second
time.

A few years ago my husband and I built a new house. When it
came time to move the piano again, my husband was reluctant to
hire someone to move it professionally because our pocketbook
was already feeling empty from the expense of building the
house (he called our new house a "money-sucking black hole.")
In his mind, moving it wasn't a big deal. Our new house was
less than two miles from our old one; and he had a dolly, a
trailer, and a brother who was willing to help him.

Everything went okay until 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 entire "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 estimate. It's
going to take a lot of time and money to fix the piano. It
needs to be totally rebuilt. Because of the labor involved, it
would be cheaper to buy a new piano than have it fixed, but the
piano has a lot of sentimental value to me so I will have it
fixed. This is why I say, "Hire a professional!"

What does a professional piano mover do to ensure a safe and
successful move? With upright pianos, they almost always strap
the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the
piano with blankets to help protect it. The entire bundle is
then typically put on a dolly and taken to its destination. If
steps are involved, the piano is taken off the dolly and slid
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 usually 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 don't like to move a piano up or down stairs. If
it's feasible, they prefer to hoist it to the appropriate floor
via a window that's big enough to accommodate the piano.

So what do you do if you just want to move your piano from one
part of a room to another? First, decide if it's really
important to move it because there's always the risk of
damaging a piano even with a short move. Piano legs are the
most likely thing to get damaged or broken.

Be very careful to avoid putting too much weight on the legs.
Get a few strong people to help if the piano is an upright; and
get at least 5 people if it's a grand piano. With an upright or
spinet, tilt the piano back a little to take the pressure off
the front legs, but be careful 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 necessary (and not recommended) to lift the piano off the
floor entirely.

If you're going to move a piano often, consider having it
fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the
piano fairly easily. Or, have the piano placed on a piano
truck.

How you do you find a good piano mover if you've decided to not
try and move it yourself? My suggestion is that you call your
local piano store and ask them for recommendations. They should
be able to give you the name or names of reputable movers in
your area.

Okay, so you've decided you are definitely going to move your
piano and you've decided on a method. 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. This is because
pianos are sensitive to humidity and temperature. Lots of
temperature and humidity swings cause a piano to go out of tune
faster than normal, can damage the wood case, and if they are
severe they can even eventually cause structural failure.

Don't place your piano over or next to a heat vent and avoid
putting 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 consistently 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 doesn't have big
temperature swings, you may want to consider having a climate
control system installed in your piano.

Moving and placing your piano correctly will help ensure you
have a lovely instrument to play for a long time rather than
having what I now own – an oversized paperweight that needs to
be dusted.


About The Author: D Ruplinger is a featured writer for
http://www.pianoscentral.com For more information about pianos,
both new and used, visit http://www.pianoscentral.com.