Instructions for Moving Upright Pianos

Most of even the simplest manoeuvres require experience and 'know how' to avoid basic errors, and clients of professional piano movers invariably admit that their initial plans to move a piano themselves were misconceived.

Never-the-less, incomplete, debatable and not even recommended for the inexperienced, here are some tips: Start by reading about basic piano moving equipment.

If you are moving a piano within a house: Do not trust the piano castors which can mark wooden floors and are often seized up entirely.

With one person at each end, one hand on the back of the lid to avoid denting the wall, the other under the key board carefully lift and pull out the piano enough to get your hands on the lifting handles located on the back of the piano.

Before any but the simplest lift is attempted, it is recommended that you remove the desk, key cover, and bottom panel. The weight saving may or may not be significant, but more important is that fastenings may be broken on these panels and removal will prevent their falling off unintentionally.

You can now use either a skate if you have no piano trolley, or use heavy folded plastic sheet on the ground with folded thick cardboard, or small pieces of ply wood under the castors to prevent them embedding.
Heavy Plastic sheet is an excellent tool for moving upright pianos around.

There are 2 ways to lift a piano onto a moving trolley. Either take a position at each end with one hand on the lifting handle and one under the keyboard, crouch with straight back and bent knees. When you straighten your knees, the piano will come up in your hands, and you can place it on the trolley.

Alternatively you can lift up one end of the piano 45 degrees, and roll the trolley underneath. As the piano is lowered onto the trolley, the trolley will rise up, don't fight it, let it rise, and use a foot to easily adjust the trolley square to the base of the piano. Lower the piano back down. Check the balance: the wheels for this manoeuvre should be centred in the middle of the piano, and the piano should feel balanced sideways as well.

Moving upright pianos on a trolley: The use of hands and shoulders. Keep your hands on the handle and on the corner of the key board at all times, and your shoulder pressed to the piano when possible. Your hands have an additional role which is to act as buffer between the piano and obstructions like doorways. Keeping them in harm's way ensures your complete attention and care, and that a faulty manoeuvre will be stopped quickly.

Turning a piano onto it's side is a common practice for moving upright pianos from a corridor into a room. First you will need to remove the desk, key cover and bottom panel.

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