If you have ever moved to a new place and found a piano situated in one room, seemingly abandoned by the previous owners, you probably have questioned why anyone would leave such an instrument behind. The truth is, pianos, whether it is an upright piano or an impressive grand design, are notoriously hard to move. These things are extremely heavy, not to mention large and cumbersome to maneuver. Hiring professional piano movers is really the only logical way to get one of these massive instruments from one place to the next. Here's a list of common curiosities people tend to have about moving a piano.
Why are pianos so heavy anyway?
Pianos are made from wood, strings, and keys, but if you are looking at the components you can see, you probably question why in the world the thing is so heavy. After all, it doesn't seem like a piano should be any heavier than a large wardrobe or solid wood dresser. What most people do not know is that most pianos have a harp-like component inside that holds the strings. This inner harp is usually made of heavy cast iron or solid steel, which is where the majority of the weight of the instrument will come from.
Couldn't you just take the piano apart to move it?
Technically, you probably could disassemble the piano to some degree to make it easier to move. For example, you could remove the hinged lid over the keys or the hinged cover from a grand piano. However, there is only so much disassembly you can do to a piano without causing damage, and what you can take off probably won't make much difference in the overall weight. Most of these instruments are built to be a more solid piece at the factory, some even glued together at the joints to hold in sound reverberations when the piano is being played.
Is it true a piano will always come out of tune when it's moved?
Pianos will fall out of tune when they are moved, but it's not always due to the actual jostling around the instrument during the transition, which is the ongoing assumption. Changes in humidity levels affect the piano more than anything, which means the piano may not fall out of tune until it has acclimated to the new location. It is best to have the piano tuned a series of times once it has been relocated, and it's best to wait a bit after the move before you start the process.
Contact movers, like Affordable Piano Movers & Storage, for more help.