Moving a piano?
Why it’s important to know the difference between moving a grand piano and an upright piano
Whether it’s a grand piano or an upright piano or even an organ, when it comes to moving a pianos there’s only one right way to do it.
If you want to know how to move your upright or grand piano, the answer is simple – get the professionals in to do it!
Don’t try this at home
People trying to move pianos themselves or getting unqualified movers in to do it is such a cliché that they turned it into an advert spoof in the 80s. Who can forget the PG Tips Chimps shenanigans that always brought a smile to the face. But that’s only because we all knew the piano was a fake; when it’s your own expensive piano on the line, there’s no way someone allowing it to fall down the stairs is funny!
If you want to move your old upright piano from the sitting room to the TV room, it should be alright to get a couple of other people to help you wheel the instrument down the corridor. But when it comes to moving a piano up and down stairs or from one building to another, it’s time to call in the piano moving experts!
The internet allows us to shop around for professional piano movers
In the eighties, you were pretty much stuck with what you got when it came to finding professional piano movers, especially when it came to those who lived in smaller towns. Now, for anyone who lives in the greater Auckland area who needs to have their precious piano moved to anywhere in the North Island, there a professional piano moving solution for you : Pro Moving Solutions.
We understand that homeowners sometime prefer to do big moving tasks by themselves to save money, but moving a piano is not the time to try and do it!
Moving a piano successfully is so much more than using strength and muscles – the instrument has to be protected.
Some interesting facts about moving the average upright piano
-
A piano has 88 keys, but over 10,000 moving parts
-
The piano is a complicated instrument that is extremely heavy and delicate at the same time
-
One of leading causes of doctor’s visits is back pain caused from lifting heavy objects
-
An upright or digital piano is usually around 1m – 1.4m in height and 1.14m – 1.5m in length
-
The keys and pedals must be protected with blankets and non-stick tape
-
Someone must guard each side of the piano in the direction it is moving
-
The piano must be hoisted onto a dolly if it is being moved further than one room away
-
The piano must be secured before transit with special pulleys that don’t damage the instrument.
-
A grand piano is around 1.35m – 1.85m in height and 1.67m – 2.7m in length
-
The top lid must be lowered and secured
-
The piano legs and pedals must be disassembled and methodically stored
-
Legs and pedals must be wrapped in blankets, and stored separately in a box
-
Professional movers have to support the piano lid section while the piano legs are being disassembled
-
The keys, lid, and piano sides must be wrapped in blankets and secured with special non-stick tape
-
Piano must be gently tilted and lifted onto a board
-
The instrument is then secured tightly with straps
-
The grand piano body is then transferred onto a truck, kept horizontal at all times
-
Upon arrival at its destination, the grand piano must be professionally reassembled
-
In some cases, the most expensive grand piano bodies have to be boxed and crated before transport.
On top of all this, your professional piano movers must also ensure:
-
Measurements are correct every step of the way
-
They have the right equipment for the job – piano dolly for an upright, and specialist equipment called a piano skid or piano board for a grand piano + strapping and padding
-
The right size truck and number of movers
-
Professional piano movers will also have done the weight bearing calculations for every step of your piano’s journey.
-
As you can see, there is so much more to moving a piano then simply relying on the casters to pushing it around!
Call us on 027 640 3529 or simply fill out our form
1988 PG Tips Chimps Classic – Mr. Shifter Removals Piano