Picking The Best Spot For Your Upright Piano

Piano moving is a labor intensive task, so it's a good idea to pick the spot for your piano before the piano movers start to do their job. These tips will help you pick the best location for your upright piano. 

Avoid Temperature Extremes

Temperature extremes and fluctuations in temperature can make tuning your piano difficult or impossible, and over time can actually damage your instrument. When picking a location for your piano, look for a room with a relatively stable, moderate temperature. Rooms with southern exposures and western exposures should be avoided because excessive sunlight can lead to large temperature jumps throughout the day. 

Avoid placing your piano near these locations:

• Radiators
• Windows 
• Exterior doors
• Exterior walls
• Uninsulated, unfinished basements
• Uninsulated, unfinished attics

Maintain a Constant Humidity Level

Like temperature extremes, humidity extremes can be problematic for pianos. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning it readily absorbs moisture from the environment around it. When wood absorbs moisture, it swells. When it releases moisture, it shrinks. On a short-term basis, this can affect the tuning of the instrument. In the long-term, this swelling and shrinking can cause your piano to crack. While maintaining moderate humidity levels is best, more important than that is the need to keep the humidity levels in the room constant.

Place your upright piano in a room where the humidity is strictly controlled. Avoid situating your piano near a bathroom or kitchen to ensure that humidity from those rooms do not impact your piano. 

Running climate control can help you maintain stable humidity levels in the room. If you are unable to climate control the room, use humidifiers and dehumidifiers to keep the moisture content in the air stable. 

Pick a Spot for Your Listeners

If you play mostly for yourself and not for an audience, then position your upright piano with the cover open so the sound will hit the wall behind you. The music will bounce off the wall and you'll hear it quite well. If you frequently play for an audience, position the piano in a location where the opening of the piano will be facing the audience. When you play, your back will be to them. 

Speak with the Piano Movers

Your piano movers will have moved many pianos in the past and may be able to provide helpful advice about the best location for your upright piano. When they arrive, ask your piano movers like Johnson Piano Moving where they suggest would be the best location for your instrument.