How to Disassemble a Grand Piano

Lift the music rack and remove the lyre from a grand piano before transferring it. The legs must then be removed, and they must be cushioned and securely secured to a piano skid board on its side.

Only a certified piano technician should remove the keyboard (also known as the piano’s action). In most circumstances, the keyboard action does not need to be removed while transferring a grand piano. So, ask your piano tuner what they would suggest for your specific piano.

How to Remove the Lyre from a Grand Piano

The only thing that has to be removed from the piano is the lyre-pedal assembly with its two wooden push rods.

Because the other parts of the mechanism do not protrude too far from the underside of the piano, they may stay attached. The goal is to make the grand piano flat underneath so that when it’s flipped over onto its side on the piano skid board and all padded up, it’s just 20′′ – 22′′ broad. Then it will fit through most doorways, which are normally 30′′ to 36′′ wide.

How to Remove the Legs of a Grand Piano

After removing the music rack and lyre, the next step is to remove the piano’s left side front leg. This is accomplished by raising the piano from its playing position by around 6 inches. Lift one end of the piano and have a second person stand the piano dolly for approximately a foot and a half beneath the left side of the keyboard.

Once in place, the dolly will raise the left end of the piano a few inches, allowing the leg to be removed without anyone having to physically kill themselves holding it up. The grand piano’s other two legs are not under undue strain by being slightly elevated on one side.

Someone must then stand there and straddle the dolly to keep it stable until another person finishes removing that side’s leg.

Long screws secure each leg to a secret coupler between the leg and the underside of the piano. To uncouple it, the screws must be removed. Some grands, on the other hand, have legs that simply need to be screwed off since they are secured by a central machined bolt arrangement. Some antique grand pianos feature a large, wooden screw dowel attaching the leg to the piano (which can easily break with age).

By no means is it easy to disassemble a grand piano. If you’re unsure how to prepare your grand piano for a safe relocation, obtain free quotes from expert piano movers like Forte Piano Movers to find out how much they will charge you for the arduous process.