21 February 2023 Piano Moving: How to Transport Your Instrument Safely

Piano Moving: How to Transport Your Instrument Safely

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Did you buy a new house? Are you ready to move?

Moving a piano can be a daunting task. 

Pianos are heavy, bulky, and delicate instruments, and even the slightest mistake during the move can result in severe damage to the instrument. Whether moving your piano to a new home or transporting it to a performance venue, it is essential to take the necessary steps to ensure its safe transportation. 

Where do you begin?

Plan ahead

Safety increases when you plan ahead. Decide on the route you will take, and make sure that it’s clear of any obstacles. Consider narrow doorways, stairs, or tricky corners that might make it difficult to move your piano. You should also consider the weather conditions on the day of the move. If there is rain or snow, ensure that you have the equipment to protect your piano from moisture.

Hire a professional piano mover

Moving a piano is not a job for amateurs. If you are not confident in your ability to move the piano, it is best to hire a professional piano mover. These professionals have the experience and equipment to move your piano safely and efficiently. You can also use a piano dolly or a board to safely transport the piano.

Prepare your piano for transportation

Before moving your piano, you need to prepare it for transportation. Remove all loose items from the piano, including sheet music, covers, and other accessories. Secure the piano lid to prevent it from opening during the move. Wrap the piano in a moving blanket or bubble wrap to protect it from scratches and other damage. You can also use a piano dolly or a piano board to transport the piano safely.

Use proper lifting techniques

Pianos are heavy, and lifting them improperly can result in serious injuries. If you lift the piano yourself, make sure you use proper lifting techniques. Bend at the knees and use your legs to lift the piano, not your back. It is also a good idea to wear gloves to get a better grip on the piano. However, keep in mind that pianos are bulky, oversized, and very difficult to move. One wrong shift can break off the legs or compromise the keyboard. If you don’t have experience, it’s best left to the professionals. 

Transport a piano carefully

When transporting a piano, make sure it is adequately secured. If you are using a truck or a van, the piano should be secured with straps or ropes to prevent it from moving during transport. If you are transporting the piano on a dolly, ensure the wheels are locked to prevent it from rolling during the move. You should also drive carefully and avoid sudden movements that can cause the piano to shift.

Conclusion

Moving is complicated at best. While getting into a new home might be exciting, arriving with damaged goods can lessen the experience. 

Transporting a piano requires careful planning, preparation, and execution. Whether moving your piano to a new home or transporting it to a performance venue, it is essential to take the necessary steps to ensure its safe transportation. If you are not confident in your ability to move the piano, it is best to hire a professional piano mover to do the job. We can help. 

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7 August 2022 Moving Your Piano Around Your House – What To Keep In Mind

Moving Your Piano Around Your House – What To Keep In Mind

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Isn’t redecorating fun? It’s a great way to bring new life to an otherwise “boring” room. 

For many homeowners, redecorating involves using existing furniture, moving it to a new location, and filling in with new decor to change how your room looks. While moving a chair or couch may be easy, moving an upright or grand piano around the house can be difficult at best. 

Not only does placement of a piano impact the way your room functions, but it also has a considerable impact on the sound it produces. In some areas, projection will be more noticeable. In others, it might create a muffled sound. 

The wrong placement can also damage the piano, and shorten its lifespan. Heat, air flow, sunlight – it can all cause extensive damage to the inner workings of the piano. 

Grand pianos are difficult to move, and are often purchased with a specific place in mind. But uprights have more flexibility. They can be tucked into corners and moved based on space and needs. What should you keep in mind before you move it?

Most people place an upright near a wall because it looks best. It’s also one of the best places for it. That’s because a wall can help regulate the temperature, preventing extreme variances from impacting the inside structure. 

Placing it near a wall also can improve the acoustics. But that doesn’t mean individual walls might not help or hinder the sound. If you desire to move your piano, you can try placing it along two separate walls. Play it in both spots – do you hear the differences? Some areas may soak up more of the sound, while others may create a more natural reverb. Testing can help you create the perfect sound to suit your tastes and needs. 

There’s nothing wrong with moving your acoustic piano around a little. Just keep in mind that this is a sensitive instrument, and with every move, you risk impacting the sound. Regular maintenance, including tuning, should be performed to continue creating the perfect sound. 

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14 June 2022 How To Move a Piano and Why You Shouldn’t Do It Yourself

How To Move a Piano and Why You Shouldn’t Do It Yourself

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Moving day. You’re excited about moving into a new house. But the move itself is stressful at best. 

How do you fit everything into boxes? How do you pack it all on a truck? 

While it’s easy to throw a box into the backseat of your car, moving a piano isn’t as easy. It’s not an afterthought. It takes careful planning to ensure it makes it safely to its final resting spot. 

Many homeowners choose to move a piano themselves. It may seem like a great way to save money, but it might not be the best way. 

If you choose to move it yourself, know that a piano weighs anywhere from 400 to 700 pounds or more. Its weight distribution isn’t the same as with a mattress or sofa. The delicate parts can break and crack with even the smallest of bumps. 

You’ll have to navigate through doors, hallways, staircases, and more as you move it from one place to another. You can’t just flip it on its side and shove it through the door as you would with other furniture. 

Are you starting to see the benefits of hiring an experienced piano mover? 

They often save you money in the long run. That’s because they’re professional piano movers who understand how to do the job. They avoid damaging the instrument, which can save hundreds or thousands of dollars in costly repairs. They can also save in property damage repair, if a non-experienced mover takes a corner wrong and damages the furnishings. 

Professional piano movers have all of the right tools. Dollies, straps, moving pads, grip gloves – they have it all ready to go. They understand the best way to prepare it for the move. They use the necessary equipment to get it out of the house, into the truck, and to its final resting spot. They take care of it the entire way, ensuring it arrives safely and is ready to play. 

And they won’t face injury from handling bulky equipment. A piano is unlike any other piece of furniture you own. One wrong turn may be bad for the piano, but it could also be bad for you. One wrong move can put feet, knees, back, or shoulders under strain. 

Are you moving to a new home soon? Congratulations! 

It’s time to ensure all of your personal assets arrive safely in your new place. Schedule a piano mover, and ensure it arrives safely, ready to play. 

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28 October 2021 How Do You Pack a Piano For Moving

How Do You Pack a Piano For Moving

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You’ve found a new home. Congratulations! 

Now comes the hard part – packing everything up and moving. 

While it’s easy to place pots and pans in a box and seal it up, you can’t do that with a piano. 

An upright piano may seem difficult. Packing up a grand piano may seem next to impossible. The key to moving them safely is through proper prepping and planning. 

The planning process

When it comes to ensuring your piano is safely moved, it starts with careful planning. Map out the planning process from where you’re moving from, to where you’re moving to. Take into account stairs, curves, and turns. Measure doors and hallways to ensure your piano can move freely from one place to the next. It isn’t unheard of to hire a crane to move a grand piano from several floors up. Be sure to have the entire space ready for the move, keeping pets, kids, and other personal belongings free and clear. 

Upright piano

When moving an upright piano, pay particular attention to the pedals and keys. These delicate features can cause harm to a piano if damaged, and add to your expenses once it reaches the final destination. With the keyboard secure, and the pedals properly wrapped, pay attention to the legs. Uprights often weigh 500 to 600 pounds or more, and one wrong move can have it damage the legs, fall on its side, and destroy the piano. 

Grand piano

Grand pianos have to be disassembled in order to be moved. First, lower the lid and secure it into position. Then carefully take off the piano legs and pedals. You should also remove any decorative features such as the music stand. With everything broken down and properly secured, only then should you wrap the lid, keys, and sides with moving blankets and packing tape. A grand piano can weigh 1,000 to 1,500 pounds or more. This isn’t a two-person job. It takes skill and knowledge to ensure your piano is safely moved. It should be moved using lifts, dollies, and other professional equipment, then properly secured once it’s inside the truck. 

Can you move a piano on its side?

Grand pianos can be very large in size. It can be impossible to move them through doorways or down hallways without turning them on their sides. When this is required, do so with care. It won’t harm or damage your piano for the short term. Just be sure it’s properly supported at all times. 

Moving a piano is not a DIY task. To keep your piano in good working condition, rely on professional piano movers from start to finish. It’s the best way to keep your piano working for years to come. 

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7 February 2021 Have a Question About Piano Removal? We Have Answers

Have a Question About Piano Removal? We Have Answers

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We’ve been in our local community for over sixty years, supplying families, schools, churches, and other institutions with a wealth of knowledge about pianos. From sales to master piano tuning, restoration services, and even moving your piano safely and securely from one place to another, if you have a question about your piano, we have the answers. 

Sometimes, your piano no longer suits your needs. What do you do with your piano?

You have four different options:

  • Sell it
  • Trade it in
  • Donate it
  • Dispose of it

How do I sell my piano?

If your piano is of showroom quality, selling it might be an option for you. Depending on the manufacturer, you might be able to sell it back to an authorized dealer. Most dealers sell both new and used pianos. Many high quality pianos hold their resale value well, and are built to last for decades. 

Of course, you can also sell it outright within the piano community. Many piano owners have good luck selling on their local classified websites, or even by placing ads online. You can also check within your local community – music stores, teaching facilities, or other music-related businesses may offer a way to sell your piano to people in your neighborhood. 

How do I trade my piano in?

Trading it in is also an option when you choose to purchase a new piano for our showroom. If you’ve purchased a starter piano years before, and are ready to upgrade to a higher quality piano, we might be interested in taking your current piano in as a trade. Call us first, we may need a piano technician to visit your home and assess the value. Then you’ll know what you can use as you shop for your upgrade. 

How do I donate my piano?

There are many facilities and institutions that will take in gently used pianos. We can often advise you of places that will accept used pianos. School systems, for instance, commonly look for pianos to use in their music or theater programs. You might also check with smaller churches or even private music instructors. They receive requests frequently for ways to bring music to their community – your piano may be just what they are looking for. 

How do I dispose of my piano?

Not all pianos are in good condition, and have enough value to move to another location. If your piano has been neglected, hasn’t been tuned in years, and no longer is in good working condition, it may be time to dispose of it. One of our movers can pick it up and dispose of it for you – just give us a call.

Have a question about your piano? Just ask. We are the piano experts here in Memphis. We’re here when you need us. 

Filed Under: Piano Moving
28 May 2020 Secure Your Piano Before You Move It

Secure Your Piano Before You Move It

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Are you planning a move in the coming months? What’s the most difficult thing in your home to move? 

Pianos are notoriously difficult to move because of their size. They are also surprisingly fragile, and can be damaged quickly in many different ways. Take a look at the tiny legs on your grand piano. Or the delicate keys and how they are interconnected inside on the soundboard. 

Now imagine how you’ll do that, especially if you have stairs, lots of tight corners and curves, an elevator, or a maze of pathways to navigate. 

Not only do you risk damaging your piano, but you also risk injuring yourself and any others who may help you during the move. Pianos are heavy and awkward, which is why you should leave it to the professionals. 

Ask for help – don’t rely on a standard moving company; they don’t have the right expertise. Don’t ask a few of your buddies; they are even less prepared for a move than traditional movers. They don’t have the right equipment to keep them safe from injury every step of the way. 

Secure the piano – every aspect of the piano needs securing before you attempt to move it. That means protecting the keyboard lid, so it doesn’t bang as it moves. It means removing delicate legs, so they aren’ damaged or broken. It means wrapping the piano with blankets and padding to protect every inch of the surface area. 

Lift the piano – you can’t carry a piano – especially a grand piano – with just a few people surrounding it. You need a variety of moving helpers, such as a furniture dolly and moving straps. You should ensure you have the right support and balance to move it every inch from where it’s currently setting to its final resting position. 

Securing the piano in the truck – just because your piano is safely moved out of your home doesn’t mean your job is over yet. It’s also important that it’s placed safely in the truck and won’t be damaged as it’s moved from one location to the next. Moving trucks aren’t always clean, level, and perfectly sized. However, a piano moving company ensures your piano is placed securely on the ground to stay level throughout the ride. It’s strapped in so it won’t move and bang around as the truck moves and stops. It’s designed to stay safe the entire way. 

Moving in – once your piano is at its final destination, it’s important to do everything the right way with the final move, only in reverse. Be sure the piano is well protected every step of the way, negotiating stairs and tight corners before it’s placed where it will finally rest once again. Be sure to scope out its new home first, avoiding open doorways, vents and registers, and direct sunlight that can damage the surface area. 

Are you planning a move soon? Be sure to secure your piano before you move it, and ensure it arrives safely at its final destination. 

Filed Under: Piano Moving
20 March 2020 Can You Disassemble a Grand Piano to Move It?

Can You Disassemble a Grand Piano to Move It?

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could pull apart a grand piano, pack it up in several boxes to keep it safe, and move it to your new location, knowing it can easily be put back together again?

With thousands of parts, that’s an impossibility. Just look at the artistry it takes to build a grand piano ready to be delivered to your home. 

But while you might not be able to box it up, there are ways you can prepare your piano for moving. With just a little prep work, you can disassemble your grand piano the right way to ensure it makes it to your final destination in great condition. 

Removing a grand piano’s music rack

One of the easiest parts to remove on a grand piano is the music rack. With just a few screws, depending on the music rack style, you can have the two pieces separated. Wrap the music rack with bubble wrap or padding to keep it safe. Be sure to keep the screws with the music rack so putting it back together is a snap. 

Removing a grand piano’s lyre

A grand piano’s lyre, also known as the pedal box, is also a fairly easy task. These delicate pedals are easily damaged if you leave them on during a move. If you look underneath, you’ll find the pedals are attached with a few screws. Only remove the pedal box with the two wooden rods attached to the underside of the piano. The other pieces can be left in place as they don’t stick out from the piano, and will easily be covered and kept safe when padded and protected for the move. 

Removing a grand piano’s legs

One of the more difficult parts to remove are the grand piano legs. You should only do this if you have experience with dealing with a piano. After you remove the music rack and lyre, start with the left leg of the piano. This is a multiple person job. 

Raise the piano up and place a dolly underneath the keyboard so the leg is several inches off the ground. Once it’s in place, the leg can be removed. Be sure to have people stand and support the piano in the middle of the keyboard. Different piano legs are connected in different ways. It’s a good idea to research your piano’s construction before you start the process. 

Be sure to label the legs and parts so you can easily put everything back together on the other end. While parts may look similar, they often aren’t. Keeping things together is the best way to ensure ease on the other side. 

With two legs removed, you can then carefully prop up the piano on its side and remove the other two legs. A piano is bulky and heavy. As you are moving it onto its side, be sure you have enough movers to keep it from slipping, the lid from tipping open. Remove the other two legs and wrap them accordingly. 

Once the legs are free, wrap and add padding to protect it during the move. It should be strapped to a piano board to ensure it won’t slip off as it’s being moved. 

Disassembling a grand piano isn’t easy. You shouldn’t try it unless you have experience with moving it. Give us a call and we can help you with the process. 

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25 October 2019 How To Move A Piano By Yourself 

How To Move A Piano By Yourself 

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If you own a piano, you know the joy it brings to your life. No matter how often you play it, every time you sit down you feel yourself get lost in the melody. Maybe it has sentimental value; it belonged to your mom or grandma. Maybe it has financial value; it’s worth more now than you paid for it. 

How are you going to move your piano from your current home to its new location? 

We’re one of the most mobile societies in the world. Americans move on average 12 times in their lifetime. The average person will move regularly, about every seven to ten years. Whether you’re moving to a new neighborhood, moving up to a larger home, downsizing, or moving to a new city across the country, it can take a lot out of you. Packing up boxes and moving heavy furniture can be difficult at best. 

But a piano is different. It’s bigger. It’s heavier. 

Think you can move it by yourself? 

Take a look at the structure of your piano for a moment. An upright may seem easier to move than a grand; the size is smaller. But it’s still heavy, with the weight disproportionate in the center of the instrument. Those tiny stability legs and pedals are at risk. 

To move a piano by yourself, you need several things:

  • Lots of equipment: bubble wrap for protection, heavy-duty dolly to help you move, weight-lifting straps for movement, ramps, pads, protective cloth.
  • Precise measurement – will the piano fit around every corner, through every doorway, into every room?
  • Ensure the piano is wrapped so the lid stays in place and all the intricate details won’t be stressed during the move. 
  • Enough people to safely move the piano without injuring one of the movers.  

Do you have all of that?

If not, it might be better to hire an experienced piano mover, one who can guarantee your piano makes it to its final destination in the same condition as when it left. 

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7 October 2019 Do I Need a Professional Piano Mover?

Do I Need a Professional Piano Mover?

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One look at a piano should be all it takes to realize it’s not like moving other pieces of furniture. Whether its an upright or a grand, these items are big, bulky, and heavy. One slip up can spell disaster. 

Consider the fact that an average piano weighs anywhere from 300 to 1,000 pounds or more. Now, look at how that weight is distributed. Depending on the make and model, it can easily be worth multiple thousands of dollars. This isn’t something you want to trust to the average mover. It takes extreme care, so it’s handled in the right way. If you have a piano you care for, you need to invest in a professional piano mover. 

Professional movers do a lot of things before they ever walk into your home. 

They have the right tools for the job. They use blankets for proper coverage and protection. They use tape to ensure protection stays in place. They use dollies capable of handling a piano’s weight. These use skid boards to ensure a piano stays in place. They use straps to help them with the move. 

They also use the right amount of people. Often, this isn’t a two person job. Depending on the size of your piano, multiple people are needed to ensure it moves easily from the room, through doorways, around corners, and up or down stairs. 

They also know to ensure they have a clear path before they ever lift a finger. Will the piano fit properly through doorways and around corners? We’ve seen many do-it-yourselfers get stuck because they try and shove a piano where it won’t go. 

They also know that many parts of a piano are delicate by nature. The thin, decorative legs can easily snap off. The pedals are easily damaged. All of this should be removed and well protected. 

Once complete, it’s also vital to ensure everything is back in working condition. That means re-tuning it and cleaning it to make sure it’s in top shape. 

If you’re moving and you want some advice, give us a call today. We can help you make your move successfully, with your piano being in as good of shape at your final destination as before you moved. 

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28 October 2018 Should You Try And Move Your Piano Up Stairs By Yourself?

Should You Try And Move Your Piano Up Stairs By Yourself?

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Are you moving into a new home? Congratulations. A lot goes into finding the perfect home and moving all of your personal belongings from place to place. 

Chances are you’ve boxed everything up according to room. You might have called in a moving company to help you with the move. 

Did they give you a quote on moving the piano? 

The problem is, pianos aren’t like other pieces of furniture. They are sensitive instruments that can take a beating when moved, especially when they aren’t handled with the care they deserve. And depending on what type of piano you have, they may be one of the heaviest, bulkiest items in your home. Should You Try And Move Your Piano Up Stairs By Yourself?

You can’t heave that on your back and walk down the stairs. It simply won’t work. 

Stairs are one of the biggest problems in moving a piano. How do professionals do it? They use specialized equipment. They use:

Piano moving straps in order to keep all of the moving parts together. It’s important to keep the lid down to ensure your piano stays safe, and hands and fingers don’t get trapped underneath. 

Piano dollies are used so the mover doesn’t have to lift and carry as it moves across landings, staircases, and hallways. 

Piano planks are used so the movers don’t have to lift and carry up each individual step. 

Most movers also use special gloves to help them grip and handle the piano with ease. 

Take a look at your move. How many stairs are involved? Do your staircases involve turns and landings? 

It’s not just your new home; it’s the entire process. To ensure your piano stays safe, be sure to hire someone right for the job. 

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