July 2018

Making the decision to purchase a piano for your home does not happen overnight. It takes serious consideration and it’s a big commitment. Once you arrive at the decision, you find yourself with the task of choosing a piano that fits your needs and your home. If there’s one thing we know about at Chicago Piano Tuners, it is pianos and we want to help you make the best decision with these tips.

Understand the Options – Vertical or Grand?

There are four kinds of vertical pianos. Spinet pianos, are the lowest in price and height, standing at 35 to 39 inches. The console piano measures between 40 and 44 inches and a studio piano between 44 and 47 inches. The final vertical piano is the upright, the most traditional in appearance. The price and quality of sound vary for all vertical pianos, so do your research.

The grand piano is going to cost far more than a vertical. However, grand pianos come with those higher price tags for a reason. Grand pianos are not only beautiful to look at, they are incredible to listen to and play on. This is why concert pianists most often play on grand pianos.

In addition to the price tag, you will also want to consider the size of the grand piano. While many can span up to nine feet, these are most often used in concert halls. Grand pianos designed specifically for the home are just under five feet in width. Our friends have one in what would be their dining room and the melodic sounds of the piano echo through the house.

Evaluate Needs and Budget

When it comes to choosing a piano, it is important to understand why you’re purchasing one and how you, or your piano-playing family member or student, will use it. If the motivation is to enable a new learner, you may want to start smaller. If you are seriously interested in investing in a quality showpiece, and you have space, you may want to go grand!

In addition to defining your why is to consider the size of the space where the piano will be placed, the budget, and the reality of owning a piano. It’s a large instrument that takes practice to play and for too many owners, in our opinion, becomes a place to hang their coat or place their mail. Before making the commitment, evaluate your needs and budget. We wouldn’t want a good piano to go to waste!

Weigh the Pros and Cons When Choosing a Piano

Unless you have unlimited resources and space, you may not find a piano that meets all of your requirements, making it important to weigh the pros and cons.

Maybe the spinet fits into your price range, but you’d prefer something of higher quality sound. In this case, is it worth it to spend more to get what you want? Perhaps you want to invest in a beautiful grand piano, but you know it’s going to be a tight fit in the space you have in your home. Would you rather have the beautiful, timeless piano, or more room for living? That’s what you need to evaluate.

When choosing a piano, it comes down to what you want, what you can afford, and what fits the space you have. It’s not a quick decision. We’re here to help you and to tune that piano once it is properly moved to your Chicago home or school.

Moving is a time of mixed emotions. It can be exciting, and also stressful. Moving some items is as easy as putting them in a labeled box, taping it up, and carrying it to the truck. Moving your piano, won’t be quite as easy. Pianos are heavy and contain hundreds of moving parts that can be easily damaged if not moved properly. To make moving day as stress-free as possible, the best option for securely moving your piano is to hire professional piano movers.

Professional piano movers have experience.

Whether you’ve hired movers or have asked friends to help, know that pianos need to be moved with extreme care. Don’t rely on yourself or basic home movers to move the piano. Ask if they have experience and then verify it. Dropping a piano can result in damages costing up to and more than $1,000. Professional piano movers know what it takes to safely move a piano, and most likely have done it many times before.

They know what to assemble and disassemble.

In addition to knowing how to move the piano, professional piano movers will also know how to or if they should disassemble or remove any pieces before transport. Pianos are made of hundreds of pieces and parts. Professional piano movers will know if there are pieces they can or should remove for safety or ease of the move.

A basic mover will most likely just move the piano as is, with no regard for foot pedals or what is inside the piano. Once the piano makes it to your new home because professional piano movers have the experience and knowledge they will know how to properly reassemble the piano, or check to make sure nothing has shifted out of place.

Piano movers understand what it takes.

Piano movers know pianos. You can tell them what kind of piano you have, and they will know how much it weighs and how many movers to bring. They will know specifically how to lift or move your piano.

With the transport in the vehicle to the new home, more than likely strings will shift. When the big moving day comes, give us a call here at Chicago Piano Tuners, and we will get your piano back in melodic action.