If you hire a general moving company to move your personal belongings to your new home, they’ll often recommend hiring a specialty company to move a piano. Why?

Pianos can weigh anywhere from 400 to 1,500 pounds or more. Not only are they bulky and heavy, but they are also very fragile pieces of furniture. One wrong move and you could lose your piano forever.

Piano moving companies won’t attempt to move your piano with just manpower. Instead, piano moving companies use special tools to get the job done. Skids, ramps, pads and slings all make the process a little easier.

Smaller pianos generally are transported in one piece. Concert and grand pianos are usually dismantled before moving.

An experienced piano mover will wrap the instrument in moving pads and secure it to a piano board before it is every lifted from its resting point. Then the piano board is used to slowly move the piano up or down the stairs.

In some circumstances, a crane may be used to hoist a piano from a higher floor level if there isn’t an elevator in place that can handle the piano. Then they will use dollies to transport it on level ground, using ramps to move the piano onto the truck.

A piano company doesn’t just move your piano, they dismantle it at the beginning, and they also reassemble your piano in your new location.

Spend a few minutes in your new location considering your piano’s final placement. Humidity and temperature affect the sound, tuning and performance of your piano. Try to find a place that is less prone to moisture, sun or extreme temperatures. Stay away from drafts or vents where airflow can have an impact.

After the move, wait a few days before tuning. By that time, the piano should have settled into its new spot, and hold the tune as you begin playing in your new location.