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Hi All,

I need some help and advice please.

I am moving house in a few days time and the piano movers say that the only way to get the piano into my new place will be to turn it upside down to get it up the stairs.

Can this be done? My piano is an upright labelled Royale & Sons and it seems to have a Daewoo metal frame inside it. Nothing obvious inside looks like it will drop out, but I don't want to risk damaging it.

What do you think - can a piano go upside down?

Many thanks!

You misunderstood. Not upside down but on it's side. Knd of what a telephone booth looks like.

Telephone booth looks like a piano on its side? You must have interesting telephone booths in Jersey! [We don't have any at all around here any more!]

To answer the original question: Turning a piano on its side is often done when the situation calls for it. It is usually very safe for the piano but is best left to professionals who have the experience.

Use professional movers and you won't be risking anything - they should be insured.

I can see no logistical reason for turning it upside down...

it would still be the same size & shape, & it would also

become top-heavy. Doesn't make any sense at all.

On it's end/side, however, I could understand -

perhaps to get it through a doorway/tight corner etc.


Are you sure you heard it correctly?

Of course one would never turn an upright piano upside down - What was meant was "up-ending" the piano so that it can be manoeuvred around corners or lifted safely one stair at a time"! Me thinks this is just a case of picking up a wrong meaning.

Turning the piano upside down should not hurt it in any way. The movers will tie down the lid and fallboard.

Sometimes the action is secured by a rail or other packaging material to prevent damage in shipment. Pianos going up stairs, especially around turns, may have to be turned all kinds of ways. If your professional piano movers have told you they can do it, having seen the site and assured themselves that the necessary clearance is present (and it sounds like they have), then do not worry. Don't look, and stay the h ell out of the way.

If you want to be sure of the coverage in case of a mishap, ask them about it.

Hi everyone. Thanks for the comments.

They most definitely said *upside down*. Some of the landings are staggered with an extra half step so they can't simply stand it on it's side as they usually would, - hence the acrobatics.

I think they will get it up there, - my concern was whether it gets there in one piece after being upside down.. I didn't want any of it's guts falling out! It should be all wrapped up and protected, so as long as there isn't any reason a piano can't go upside down, it sounds as if it may be okay....

I did that just a few days ago. Put an upright on it"s side to get it into elevator, instead of carrying it on the seventh floor by stairs. The movers must have some experience in that kind of piano transport. Ask them if they know exactly how they will do it.

You can flip uprights over. In certain situations here I have had to flip them over end to end. With proper floor and cabinet protection there should not be any problem.
Actually in certain situations flipping them over end upon end is faster and more safe.

I have moved piano's for several years with a fully insured professional piano moving company. Although it is not a regular thing we have turned pianos fully upside down several times.

When stairs with weird landings or tight hallways with "creative" architecture were involved, or my personal favorite curved stairwells, some equally creative moving is sometimes necessary.

If I understand what you mean by staggered I believe what they plan to do is push the piano up to the landings, upend it onto a corner on one landing and then immediately upend it again onto a corner on the next landing and back onto the next set of stairs.

Unless the landings are almost 7 feet wide I doubt there will be enough room to reset the piano on the landing, turn it 90 degrees and tilt it back enough to get it up onto the next landing.

Whenever I do a move the first thing is my safety and the second is the safety of the piano. As long as the piano is properly protected it should be perfectly safe. Don't forget to tip your movers