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Everything You Need to Know About Piano Moving

Friday, February 18th, 2011
3856977347 2df5df11e4 m Everything You Need to Know About Piano Moving
by Powerhouse Museum Collection

Every thing You Need to Know About Piano Moving

Moving can be a really stressful time in a person’s life, especially if he or she has not hired proper support to move their furniture. Piano moves can be especially stressful, because the mover needs to have unique knowledge and expertise to safely move the piano. In this post I have outline a few frequently asked questions about piano moving in order to aid understand what is involved in moving a piano and prepare you with the data to decide on the correct mover. At the finish of the write-up, I have listed some questions that you can ask to help you select your piano mover, as nicely as the details that you ought to have ready in order for the mover to be sufficiently ready for your move.


Why do I want to hire a professional piano mover?


A lot of of you may be wondering why you would require to hire a skilled piano moving organization to move your piano, rather than using the household mover who is moving the rest of the contents of your residence. The primary cause for hiring a skilled piano mover is that many household movers do not have adequate training or gear to appropriately move a piano.


The typical upright piano weighs in between 400 and 900 pounds. Grand pianos can weigh among 650 and 1300 pounds. The worth of a piano can differ from a handful of hundred dollars to 500,000 dollars depending on the make, model, age and condition of the piano. The majority of piano moves involve moving the instrument through a tight space such as a small door frame or staircase. In some cases, the piano may will need to be dismantled in order to get it out of your home. Making use of and knowledgeable expert piano mover will drastically minimize the risk of damage to the instrument and to your house.


As a piano mover, I have come across a lot of circumstances where a customer has hired a household piano mover to move their piano and has had to make an emergency call to us simply because the household mover could not get the piano out of his or her property. In other situations, I have received calls from clients who had hired a non-dependable piano mover simply because their cost was significantly lower, and had to book an emergency move with us, due to the fact that piano mover did not show up to move their piano or call to clarify why they were not there.


How are pianos moved?


When you hire a expert piano mover, you can anticipate 2-three folks to come to your residence equipped with piano skids, moving pads, ramps, slings, and the information of how to move your piano safely. They will use particular strategies to maneuver the piano out of your residence. When the piano is put on the truck, it will be safely secured to the vehicle in order to steer clear of damage during transport. In the most challenging moves, 4-6 men and women may possibly be utilized. Generally when a piano is moved by an individual other than a skilled piano mover, this gear, knowledge and these safety precautions are not employed. While hiring a professional piano mover does not totally eliminate the threat of harm, it will drastically lessen this threat. Furthermore, a excellent piano mover will assess the situation and inform you if there is a chance of harm prior to he or she starts the move, and will give you the option of proceeding or not.


Are all professional piano movers equal?


Sadly, as in any trade, every single piano moving company varies in their level of top quality and experience. Some piano movers are much better equipped and a lot more ready than other people and act with a lot more care and integrity than other people. The very best way to find a good piano mover is to call around to your neighborhood piano stores, piano technicians and piano teachers to find out which firm they use. Piano stores in particular have a high stake in ensuring that they use trustworthy, high high quality piano movers who have the least danger of damaging their instruments and are appropriately insured in the occasion that the unforeseen does happen.


Are all piano movers similarly insured?


Sadly, the answer to this question is no.

There are 3 sorts of insurance to contemplate when hiring a piano mover:
1. Commercial/automotive insurance: Is the company insured against harm to property and or automobiles?
two. Cartage/content material insurance: Is the organization insured against damage to the piano?
3. Workman’s Safety Insurance: Is the company insuring its workers against injury?
Some piano moving organizations are insured for 1 or 2 of these types of insurance, but not all 3. It is the buyer’s responsibility to make certain that he/she is appropriately insured, not the moving business. It is a great thought to ask about these three varieties of insurance when you are phoning piano moving firms, and also to ask what amount of insurance your piano will be covered for. A properly insured moving business really should provide you with a Bill of lading, which is a legal document stating what is becoming moved, the names of all parties involved in the move, where the piano is becoming moved from and to, and the full declared insured value of the instrument. The Bill of lading ought to also include the moving company’s terms of cartage. As a legal document, a appropriate bill of lading helps to make certain that the piano mover will repair any damages that had been incurred throughout the move (unless a damage waiver was signed). It is also critical to note that any harm caused to your piano or your property ought to be noted on the bill of lading to make certain that you have proper recourse if any action is required.


Why is worker injury critical to me?


You may possibly be asking yourself why it is important that you make sure that the piano mover you hire has Workman’s Safety Insurance. When you contract a moving company, they are thought to be your employee for the time that they are operating for you. If you hire a moving firm that is not covered for Workman’s Safety Insurance, you are accepting full liability for any employees who are injured although working for you. Your liability will extend to medical bills, lost wages and possibly civil law suits. A business who is covered for Workman’s Safety Insurance will take care of most of these difficulties for you. Some organizations do not pay their necessary insurance premiums and are for that reason not covered for all injury insurance claims. You may possibly ask the firm that you are hiring to provide you with an up-to-date workman’s safety insurance clearance certificate, in order to guarantee that you are effectively covered. To be totally certain that the moving company’s coverage is up to date, you can get in touch with your local Workman’s Compensation or Workman’s Safety Insurance board to check on the company’s status.


Does moving the piano have an effect on the sound of my piano?


The actual move of the piano does not impact the sound or tuning of a piano. Usually piano tuning is affected by alterations in temperature and humidity which trigger the wooden and steel components of your piano to expand and contract. You will most likely want to tune your piano a couple of weeks after moving it, following it acclimatizes to its new place. Other aspects that could impact the sound of your piano are the size and acoustics of the room in which the piano is located. Carpet absorbs sound, although hardwood reflects it. Sound reinforces in tiny spaces, seeming louder, although in big spaces the sound gets lost, seeming quieter.


How much does it price to move a piano?


Piano moving is generally billed in 1 of two techniques:
1. The household mover way – hourly rate, with a minimum number of hours (typically min. = 3 hours)
2. The skilled piano mover way – flat rate based on the following aspects:
a. Type (upright, grand) and size of piano
b. Distance being moved
c. Difficulty level due to stairs, grass pulls, tight turns and so on.
d. Time restraints location on the move
e. Waiting time that may well be incurred.
The advantage of a flat rate technique is that, barring any unforeseen events, you be in a position to get an accurate concept of what the move will cost you before the movers arrive at your residence and it is typically much less expensive than the hourly rate.


How considerably notice do I will need to give the Piano Mover?


The amount of notice required will rely on when and exactly where you want the piano to be moved. Most piano movers book their deliveries on a 1st come, very first served basis. If it is a high site visitors time of year, you might will need up to one month’s notice. In a lower visitors time of year, you could only require one or two day’ notice. Typically, if you need your piano moved on a particular day, you really should book the delivery properly in advance to make sure it’s obtainable to you.


Below are listed some suggested concerns to ask when you are looking to hire a piano mover:



How long have you been moving pianos?
Do you have any references?
Do you have full-time, trained staff moving pianos for you?
How do you charge for moving, and what are your rates?
What days of the week do you move pianos, and what is your availability?
Are you covered for Commercial/automotive insurance, Cartage/content insurance, and workman’s safety insurance?
Will you present me with a copy of your workman’s safety insurance clearance certificate?
What quantity will my piano be insured for throughout the move? What does this insurance cover?
What are your terms of cartage? Will you supply me with a copy?
Will I be offered will a bill of lading when my piano is moved?

Listed beneath is the info that you should have prepared when you book your piano move:



What type of piano is it that you demand to be moved? (Upright or Grand Piano)
What size of piano is it? (upright pianos are measured by height [floor to lid] and grand pianos are measured by longest length [keyboard to curve in bow end])
Exactly where is it being picked up from? (Have full address which includes postal or zip code)
Where is it becoming delivered to? (Have full address such as postal or zip code)
Are there any stairs that the piano wants to go up or down (inside and outside)? If so, how many? Are they straight, spiraled or curved? Based on what you tell the piano mover, he/she will tell you how several individuals they believe it will achieve your move. Missing important particulars or issues, or miss-estimating your move based on the information you have provided could mean that your piano move might not occur that day, and could incur you much more charges.
When are you seeking to have the piano moved?
Are there any time restraints involved? (As time-restraints tend to hamper the efficiency of the mover’s day, placing a time-restraint on the mover could much more than double your expense.)
Inform the piano mover of any issues that you can foresee ahead of time.

The a lot more information you can supply the piano mover, the much more accurate your quote will be. If you are vague and present couple of particulars, do not be surprised if you incur added charges for your move. A great, trustworthy piano mover will make the procedure as painless as feasible for you and normally be the highlight and most stress-no cost component of your complete moving procedure. They key is ensuring that the mover meets all of your needs and providing them with the details they want to support you appropriately.

Jason Martin is the owner of Braymore Delivery Service, the biggest piano delivery and storage business serving Southern Ontario. Braymore Delivery Service has been in operation for 25 years. For a lot more information on Braymore’s solutions, check out their web site at http://www.braymore.ca.


Article from articlesbase.com

A lot more Piano Articles

Digital Piano Or Upright Piano: Which One Is Better?

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Many people have the opinion that digital pianos do not sound like original pianos, while some people say about the upright piano that they take too much space in a room. You will find this kind of conflict about electric pianos and upright pianos very off and on. This conflict is a never-ending one and will also never be solved.

People have their personal preferences. Some like the older style and old quality of the music in pianos while some love the new technologies used in the modern day digital piano. The electric piano is not a very old innovation. It has been around for about 20 years now. But they are the most widely used musical instruments today.

When the digital piano was first introduced, it was like a blunder. The keys used on the keyboard were extremely light and spongy and the quality of the piano as well as the music was nowhere near the real piano. The sound of these early pianos was too bright and the sampling was quite awful. All these points were working against this new revolution.

These early pianos did not feel right at all. The sweetness as well as the sharpness of the original piano was missing out somewhere. The manufacturers of the digital piano had to work really hard to bring it to a stage when it could be something like an original piano.
The look of these pianos was also not a good one. It had quite an ugly look. The cases looked liked cheap plastic and it was very difficult to match it with any other furniture in the home. But today digital pianos have become a sensation. Today new models of electric pianos are coming out every two to three years. Today there are many advantages of a digital piano over an upright piano. They have a lot more features and they are portable so they can be easily moved and of course, they sound fantastic.

If you’ve got the time then call in at Mikes websites and have a look at a selection of used Digital Pianos and Upright Pianos and compare prices, and if you want piano lessons to go with your piano, have a look at my Learn And Master Piano Review. its probably the best
course on the net.

The Great Debate – Acoustic v Digital Pianos

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

You will see upright acoustic pianos every where, perhaps at your favorite restaurant, or at a school hall. You used to see them at your church, but perhaps not so much these days, as the use of digital pianos becomes more prevalent.

You like the class and sound of an acoustic piano so much that you want one for yourself, and perhaps have not considered going the digital route.

Perhaps you want to give your child a musical education, and have settled on the piano as the instrument of choice, as it is by far the most popular of instruments and there are plenty of teachers around.

So once you have decided that the piano will be your instrument you will have to make a decision on what to buy.

Probably the first thing you would do is go to a piano dealer and see what is on offer. You will see lots of wonderful pianos, which are almost like furniture, and you will love them until you see the price and the amount of space it takes up.

So although you may desperately want one, an acoustic piano may not be affordable and you wouldn’t have the room for it, especially if you live in an apartment.

If you are buying one for your child to learn to play, you have to remember that piano lessons are hard work, and your child may want to give up after a couple of months. I know my own children lasted for a year, but that was it.

If this is the case, and you don’t play yourself, you now have an expensive piece of idle furniture taking up a vast amount of space in your living room.

A viable alternative has to be the digital piano. A lot of them these days look very much like a traditional upright acoustic piano, and the sound is very similar.

An acoustic piano is a mechanical instrument where the depression of the keys causes muffled hammers to strike against strings, which produces the familiar sounds, while digital pianos produce sound electronically.
The sounds produced come from previously recorded sounds of a real piano, and certainly with the top of the line digital pianos, like the Yamaha, the sounds are going to be of an extremely high quality, and practically indistinguishable to the untrained ear.

There is another argument against digital pianos, which is that the feel of the keys is different from that on an acoustic piano, and this used to be true. With an acoustic piano you can actually feel the hammers striking against real strings, and can adjust the weight you put on the keys according to the sound you wish to make.

The left hand keys on a keyboard are harder to play, especially for a right handed person, and the strength of the key depression is lighter on the treble keys.

However, because this was a sticking point in the arguments about the merits of digital v acoustic, piano manufacturers such as Yamaha have addressed this problem and the modern models can almost replicate the touch and feel of the traditional acoustic piano.

The keys may be described as being semi-weighted, weighted, hammer, and graded hammer. The graded hammer is recognised as being the best, while the semi-weighted and weighted actions are the ones normally used for the entry level models.

If you are after a digital piano, the Yamaha is by far the most popular – click this link to find out why

The Advantages Of Electronic Pianos Over Acoustic Upright Pianos

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Many years ago, almost every household used to have an upright piano. People took music lessons with a piano teacher. These pianos took a lot of space and had to be tuned from time to time, otherwise they would sound horrible. Today there are a lots of electronic pianos, which do not have this kind of problem and are also quite cost effective.

A big advantage of choosing an electronic piano is that they are not expensive. They also do not require tuning and as they weigh less they can be moved easily from place to place. You can even buy a piano that will match your furniture at home.

Before you buy one, you need to consider a few thing things. The first thing you need to check is whether it actually sounds like a piano. Also, check out the other sounds other than the piano sound. Many of these keyboards include sounds of different musical instruments as well so check them out. There are some models that will also provide drum sounds.

The next thing you need to look for is that whether the piano has weighted keys. These weighted keys will make your electronic piano sound and feel real. If your child is learning to play then the option of weighted keys is a really a necessary one.

Most electronic pianos have a midi sequencer onboard. The sequencer will help you record whatever you play. This will help you when you are composing and playing back music pieces. You can play tracks you have recorded later whenever you need it.

The next thing to look for is whether the instrument has a built in sound system or whether you have to connect speakers to it to hear the sound. The final thing you need to look for is whether it as an 88 note keyboard. Acoustic upright pianos always have 88 notes. Sometimes, low priced instruments have fewer notes. Popular sizes are 49 note, 61 note and 76 note keyboards.

Visit Mikes website to find out more about Acoustic and
Electric Pianos and find out where to buy Musical Keyboards.