Moving to a new location is already an exhausting undertaking, but when you have to move 
your piano as well, it can be even more stressful. Piano moving can be a traumatic experience to many people, especially if they make a living or an extra income from their piano. Therefore, it is best to leave it to the professionals when it comes to transporting the piano from location A to location B.
Horrible stories about moving pianos
A friend of mine shared her piano moving experience recently. She owns a huge, old German piano that requires about eight or ten people to physically carry it. When she needed the piano to be moved, she hired a moving company that specialized in transporting pianos. On the day of the move, the movers struggled to carry the piano, as the company did not send enough movers.
They were just about to drop it, but luckily for them, her husband had quickly stepped in to assist. Even with his additional assistance, it was difficult to keep going without everyone taking a breather. It would have helped a lot if the movers had a proper piano trolley with them, as the items they used were simply a few leather straps. They were totally under-prepared for the move.
Another story that I heard was about a piano owner who had a studio in his house. He wanted his piano to be placed in the studio, which was situated opposite the staircase. In order to get the piano inside, the movers had to turn it on its side. The piano owner was clearly worried that everything in the musical instrument would move. However, the professional movers certainly knew exactly what they were doing, so the piano was never damaged.
Can you imagine what would have happened if he had hired a household moving company to transport his piano? It gives me shivers every time I think about people who hire household movers or incompetent people to remove their pianos. When you are planning to move, you need to engage a professional piano moving company that not only has the necessary tools and equipment, but is also covered by insurance.
Inspect the pianos!
Once you decide on a moving date, you need to call a piano moving company as soon as possible. It is best to call at least five days before the moving date, so that the professional piano movers can first have a look at your piano. You do not want to end up with movers who inform you that they are unable to relocate your piano because it is too big – this can be extremely disappointing, particularly if it happens on the day of the move!
A number of piano movers are very quick to say yes to every moving project without even 
asking about the piano size. Professional movers will normally take the time to visit their client’s home or studio to evaluate the piano before they agree to take on the job. Besides the piano size and type, there are other important things that experts look at when they need to move a piano.
The location of the piano is just as important, because if there are steps or limited space, it can be relatively difficult to maneuver the musical instrument. I know of one case where the piano was stuck on the stairs, because the movers did not consider the available space and piano size. They ended up calling the fire brigade to remove the piano!
Proper tools and equipment
Professional piano moving companies train their workers to maneuver the piano properly around tight spaces. Additionally, they are trained to use only the appropriate tools and equipment, such as stair-climbing tools, piano trolleys, hydraulic tailgates, and more. Normally, these tools and equipment are specially made for piano-moving purposes.
How important do you think it is to hire professional piano movers?