Piano Moving in Nashville: Upright vs. Grand, Prep and Process

Nashville is a piano town. Plenty of homes in Green Hills, Belle Meade and Forest Hills have a baby grand in the front room, and just as many Sylvan Park and Bellevue families have an old upright that has been passed down for generations. When it is time to move one, the questions are always the same: how heavy is it, will it fit, and what keeps it from getting damaged? This guide walks through what actually matters, so you know what to expect before the truck shows up.

Upright vs. Grand: Two Very Different Jobs

Upright pianos

An upright stands tall and flat against the wall. Spinets and consoles are the smaller, lighter end of the range, while full-size studio and older upright pianos can be surprisingly heavy, with most of the weight sitting in the cast-iron plate and the back. The tricky part with an upright is not the weight alone. It is that the weight is top-heavy and narrow at the base, so it wants to tip when it is tilted or pushed over a threshold.

Uprights usually move standing up, strapped to a dolly, with padding wrapped around the case. The crew keeps it upright through the whole trip and secures it against the wall of the truck so it cannot rock.

Grand and baby grand pianos

A grand is a different animal. It cannot go through a doorway the way it sits in your living room. The standard method is to take off the lid and the music desk, remove the pedal lyre, and then lay the piano on its straight side on a padded piano board (often called a skid board). With the instrument strapped to the board, the crew removes the legs one at a time and wheels it out on its side. At the new house, the process runs in reverse.

That disassembly is where experience counts. Grand piano legs are attached in different ways depending on the maker and age, and the lyre has rods that connect to the action. Rushing any of it is how legs crack and pedals stop working.

How to Prep Your Home Before Moving Day

A smooth piano move starts before anyone lifts anything. Here is what helps most:

• Measure the path. Measure every doorway, hallway and turn between the piano and the truck. For a grand, measure the length of the straight side and the height of the case. For an upright, measure height, width and depth.
• Count the steps. Front porch steps, a sunken living room, a staircase to a bonus room: tell us about every one. A lot of Belle Meade and Forest Hills homes have entry steps and slopes that change how the crew plans the carry.
• Clear the route. Move rugs, side tables, art and anything on the walls along the path. Rugs are a real slip hazard under a loaded dolly.
• Close and lock the lid. If the fallboard locks, lock it. Remove photos, metronomes and sheet music from the top.
• Plan the new spot. Pick where the piano goes before it arrives. Away from exterior doors, heating and cooling vents and direct afternoon sun is better for the instrument long term.
• High-rise moves need extra steps. If you are moving into a building downtown, in Midtown or in the Gulch, check with building management about elevator reservations, freight elevator size and any insurance certificate they require from movers. Ask for the freight elevator's interior dimensions and door height.

What the Crew Does on Moving Day

A professional piano move follows a set sequence. You should see something close to this:

1. Walk-through. The crew lead walks the path from the piano to the truck, checks the floors and doorways, and agrees on the plan with you before touching the instrument.
2. Floor and door protection. Hardwood and tile floors get covered along the route, and door frames get padded where the piano will pass close.
3. Wrapping. The piano is wrapped in heavy moving blankets and secured so the finish does not get rubbed or scratched.
4. Disassembly (grands). Lid, music desk, lyre and legs come off in order, and small parts and hardware are bagged and labeled so nothing goes missing.
5. Controlled carry. The piano is strapped to a dolly or piano board and moved slowly, with crew on each end and a spotter on stairs and thresholds.
6. Loading and securing. In the truck, the piano is strapped against the wall so it cannot shift during the drive.
7. Setup. At the new home, the crew reassembles a grand, sets it on its legs, reattaches the lyre and checks that the pedals move.

The best way to make sure the right crew size and equipment show up is to describe the piano and the route on the phone before the day. Make, model, approximate age and a photo of the path go a long way.

Will My Piano Need Tuning After the Move?

Usually, yes. That is not a sign of a bad move. Pianos react to changes in temperature and humidity, and Middle Tennessee's humid summers and drier winter heating seasons mean a piano settling into a new room will drift. Most technicians suggest letting the piano sit in its new spot for a couple of weeks before tuning, so it can adjust to the room first. Book your tuner for after that window.

Piano Moves as Part of a Bigger Move

Most of the pianos we see are part of a full household move rather than a one-off job. That is often the most efficient way to handle it, since the crew is already on site with the truck. Our standard local rates are $250 an hour for 2 movers and a truck, or $350 an hour for 3 movers and a truck, with no charge for one flight of stairs, elevators, travel time, fuel or tax on local moves. You can see our flat-rate starting prices on the Nashville flat-rate moving costs page.

Pianos are specialty items, though, so we do not publish a single piano price. A spinet going across Bellevue and a 7-foot grand going down a set of curved stairs are not the same job. Call us and we will give you a clear, honest number based on your actual instrument and your actual route.

FAQ

Can a grand piano go through a standard doorway?

Usually yes, once it is on its side on a piano board with the legs and lyre removed. That is why measuring the doorway and the case height before the move matters so much.

Should I move my upright piano myself with a few friends?

We would not recommend it. Uprights are top-heavy, and the most common injuries and damage happen on steps, thresholds and when loading into a vehicle that is not set up to secure it.

Can you move just the piano, without the rest of the house?

Call us and describe the piano and both locations. We will tell you straight what it takes and what it costs before anything is scheduled.

Got a piano to move in Nashville, Brentwood or Franklin? JM Moving has more than 23 years in the moving business and answers the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call us at (615) 710-9990 and tell us about your instrument, or learn more at JM Moving.

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