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It's understandable that you might not want to hire a mover just to
move a piano around a room, but these small moves can be
surprisingly dangerous. With both grands and verticals, it's
primarily the legs you want to watch out for. Breaking a leg on a
vertical may be just an inconvenience, but on a grand it can be
disastrous.
I was once called twice in a single month to repair a grand piano
that had been dragged across a floor. Both times a leg had gotten
caught in the grate of a heating duct, causing the piano to crash to
the floor. Of course the pedal lyre broke too. Dragging a grand
piano across carpeting can also be too much for the legs to handle.
If you insist on moving the grand yourself, three to five strong
people should gather around its circumference and lift while moving.
Don't actually try to lift it off the floor; just relieve the strain
on the legs.
At least two people should always move a vertical piano. Spinets
and consoles with free-standing legs should have their legs
protected by lifting or tilting the piano back ever so slightly
while moving. But remember that most of the weight of the piano is
in its back, so be sure you have a firm grip on it and don't tilt so
far that the piano is in danger of falling over. Larger verticals
and smaller ones without legs can simply be rolled, although this
may be hard to do on carpeting. Piano casters can sometimes get
stuck unexpectedly, so move slowly with one person on each end of
the piano. When making turns, keep the back of the piano on the
inside of the turn. And be careful not to push a stubborn
vertical piano over helper's foot!
Casters and trucks. If you're going to be moving a piano
around a room or stage, or from room to room often, be sure the
piano is properly equipped. Grand pianos should be mounted on a
piano truck or fitted with special casters. Small verticals are best
not moved around much, but there are special piano trucks for them
too. Larger verticals often come with heavy-duty casters, but
casters that are too small or old cast-iron casters can be replaced
by your piano technician with double rubber-wheel ones that move
easily and don't mar the floor. (Note: these replacement casters may
sometimes lift your piano an inch further off the floor, making the
pedals harder to reach. A piece of thick carpeting or wood placed in
front of the pedals for the hell of your foot to rest on will remedy
this problem.)
Thinking of moving your piano around the room? We offer quick, easy,
inexpensive piano moving services to ensure a trouble-free move. Please
call 1-800-241-0001 to schedule an appointment.
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Reprinted with permission from Larry Fine's
The Piano Book. |
