As with any company  that you are considering doing business with you will need to research their reputation before giving the piano moving company serious consideration. The obvious and often overlooked method for doing this is by calling the references that they provide. Many people think that if someone provides names as references then those people will offer glowing recommendations. This could not be farther from the truth. In reality references will often open your eyes to problem areas or additional considerations that you may not have thought of.

One question you should always ask of the references is whether the actually had a piano moved. This is especially the case if you are contracting with a general moving company as opposed to a company that exclusively moves pianos.

Another method of checking out a piano movers reputation is to call the local Better Business Bureau or check the BBB online. If there were ever any complaints filed you will be able to see these here.

Word of mouth is another tried and true method. Word gets around, and it is nice to choose somebody that comes highly recommended.

If you have any experiences moving your keyboard that you would like to share – I would love to hear them!

Here the answer is a resounding and emphatic – NO! You should absolutely hire piano movers for the job.

Trying to move your own piano can result in injury to yourself and your instrument. This attempt to save time and money can easily backfire. Both your and your piano’s medical bills will be more than the cost of the piano movers! All joking aside, this is one area where hiring a professional crew is imperative.

Why? Primarily because of the size, shape, and weight of the piano. These unwieldy instruments can easily top a thousand pounds. Add to that their awkward shape and you have a recipe for an accident waiting to happen. Plus, the weight of a piano is not balanced – with the keyboard side being lighter than the rest.

Piano movers make the job look easy, when in reality they have the right tools, skills, and experience to pull the move off without a hitch.

My advice? Leave this job to the piano movers and cut corners on another, more easily handled, aspect of your move.

A piano is a very large instrument. It may be obvious, but you need to make sure that the piano will fit into your new location. Measure all doors and hallways on the path to your final destination. Make sure that there are no obstacles in the way so the piano movers will have a clear shot from the truck to the spot you have selected.

When the piano movers arrive to pick up the piano, make sure they wrap the unit extremely well with padded blankets. Scratches and dings are unacceptable and refinishing a piano can add up to a hefty bill. Also, make sure that the moving company has adequate insurance.

I have heard of this practice, but thankfully, have never experienced such a thing. “Keyboarding”. Apparently, some piano movers will try to remove the keyboard from a piano to make it fit through tight spaces. This practice could damage the instrument and should be avoided. Discuss this with your piano movers before the move and make sure that they do not try this with your instrument.