A piano, grand piano or upright piano are very beautiful, delicate instruments and at the same time incredibly heavy. They are easily subject to all kinds of scratches, nicks and cracks. Such instruments require careful handling in everything: during setup, use, storage, and especially during transportation. So how to properly transport such a complex instrument?
Nikolai Birulya, a piano and other musical instrument repairman, shared his experience and advice on transportation with us:
There are several important rules.
First you need to prepare the instrument for transportation. The piano should not be moved using metal rollers at the ends of the legs. They serve more as a decorative element, and if you start moving the piano on these rollers, you can easily ruin laminate, parquet, and even carpet.
You need to lift and lower the piano very carefully, and do not forget that it is very heavy! Therefore, such manipulations require strong loaders!
First, the piano needs to be disassembled. The bottom cover is removed, protecting the mechanisms of the pedals and the bottom deck;
Then, after unscrewing the bolts, the impact mechanism is removed, although in most cases this is not recommended, since this increases the likelihood of damage by an order of magnitude; then the top cover is attached to the latches; and the protective cover for the keys is attached with screws.
The back wall of the tool has handles. But it’s also better not to use them over long distances. They can be used to move the piano away from the wall. The actual transfer of the piano from the room to the gazelle is best done with strong belts, which the movers should have.
If you suddenly need to transport a piano in winter, it will be better if the car is equipped with air conditioning. This will prevent the varnish from cracking. After delivery to the place, the piano should be warmed up as quickly as possible (but only naturally!).
Inside the car, you need to secure the piano with straps to the mounts on the walls of the body, wrapping the instrument twice or even three times with packaging material, and only then can you drive away.
It’s also great if the gazelle has a special ramp along which you can roll the piano in and out of the car.
