Whether you’re moving to New York or moving within the five boroughs, moving just by itself can be incredibly stressful and backbreaking. Now add a piano to the mix and you have a recipe for a very difficult move. Unlike other large and cumbersome items like furniture or wardrobes, moving a piano requires more than just brute strength. After all, despite appearances, it is actually a delicate instrument that requires special care.
If you do have a piano, you should hire a professional piano moving service. Even within the moving industry, pianos are considered one of the most challenging items to relocate. By using a moving service in New York you can rest assured knowing that the professionals will know how to properly carry and load your piano from your old house to your new one. In order to ensure your piano and apartment make it through the move unscathed, there are a few things you should do beforehand.
Measure Your Piano
Whether you plan on moving an upright piano or grand piano, the best first step is to get its dimensions. Come moving day, the whatever NYC professional moving service you use will be able to quickly figure out how to make sure it gets through the doors, stairwells, elevators, and so on. Knowing the size will also give the movers a clear picture of its size so they can decide whether it can fit with your other belongings or if they will have to rent out an entire truck for it.
So how do you measure your piano? For grand pianos you need to measure it from front to back. Usually, grand pianos tend to be the same height and width depending on the type of grand piano. Below are some standard sizes:
- Baby grand – 56”-61”
- Parlor grand – 62”-67”
- Professional grand – 68”-79”
- Recital hall grand – 80”-102”
- Concert grand – 103”-110
Unlike grand pianos, upright pianos tend to vary drastically in all dimensions. To get the most accurate measurement, you should measure the width, height, distance between legs, distance between the keys and the floor, and distance between the top of the piano to the top of the keys. Get as accurate as you can as that will make it easier on the moving companies.
Prepare Your Piano for the Move
Once you have all the measurements, it’s time to get your piano ready for the move. One of the first things you should do is to remove any obstacles that are between the piano and the door such as furniture and boxes. If you own a grand piano, you should disassemble it by removing the legs and make sure the lid is completely closed. After that, wrap up the piano in a blanket to prevent potential scratches.
While professional movers should know how to transport a piano, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on it anyway just in case. Make sure that they always have the piano in its upright position during the entire move. A reputable piano moving company will also protect your home when moving piano by using floor protection. If they do end up scuffing the floor of your old or new apartment, make sure that they have insurance to cover the cost of repairs.
You should also take pictures of your piano before your move. While good movers will do their best to transport your piano unscathed, if you end up hiring cheap movers, then they might not handle it with as much care. Always take pictures of your precious/expensive belongings beforehand to keep track of their condition prior to the move. You should also spring for the full value protection insurance if the moving company provides it so you can get back the full value of any repairs necessary. If the company doesn’t offer it, purchase your own.
Tune Your Piano
Once your piano has been moved to your new apartment, you will need to tune it. No matter how careful NYC professional movers are, any small movement can affect the piano’s tuning. Just changing environments can affect the way your piano sounds. Of course, the first thing you should do when your piano arrives is decide what room to put it in. Most New York City apartments tend to be on the small side, so you probably won’t have that many options. However, you should pick the room that has the most space and acoustics. Once you’ve decided on the space, have the movers transport the piano to its new location.
In general, you want to wait about a month for you and your piano to adjust to the new environment. If it still sounds a bit off, then call in a professional tuner to get it adjusted. Your piano getting out of tune isn’t any cause for worry, However, if you notice any serious damage to your piano, make sure to take pictures and send them over to the moving company along with the pictures you had taken of the piano before the move as evidence of damages and to collect money for repairs.
Conclusion
Whether it’s an upright piano or a baby grand, you need to take extra precautions when moving if you want to ensure your piano gets to your new apartment in one piece. While you can move it yourself, you could just as easily mess up and hurt yourself and/or damage your piano. Instead of taking that chance, why not hire a professional piano moving service? For example, NYC Great Movers can help you move your piano with ease and at an affordable price. You can check out our reviews here:
Even if you don’t go with us, if you’re looking to hire a moving service in NYC then you should do your research. Remember, a piano is a delicate and expensive instrument. Most legitimate companies will have a relatively high piano moving cost because they are making sure that your piano moves without any issues every step of the way. Sure, you could go with a man with a van, but chances are they won’t have the experience or necessary tools to get your piano from point A to B without damaging it.
FAQ
What information do I need to have before calling the movers?
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- The type of piano
- The address of its current and new location
- Any stairs or turns inside and outside the old and new location
- Move date
- Any special instructions for moving the piano
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Can you store my piano?
We do offer storage, but you should call to make sure we have enough space at our facilities to store a piano.
How often should my piano be tuned?
That depends on the age of your piano. Newer pianons only need to be tuned once a year while older ones might need to be tuned 2-4 times a year. Remember that climate and your piano’s location can also affect its performance so listen for any irregularities especially after the move.
