[CAUT] Moving Pianos on Campus

[Jeff Tanner]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
Hi Rob,
Solving the moving issue is simple.  If you damage it, either you or  
the music department has to pay to fix it.  If it damages you or a  
student, either you or the music department has to pay for it.  If an  
outside vendor or the university movers damage it, the liability is  
theirs and they carry insurance to cover damage.  My job description  
says that I have to supervise all moves.  But I am told that I am not  
actually supposed to take part in it for liability reasons.  Yes, I  
get a different crew from the university movers every time, but it  
isn't very difficult to explain what we are going to do every time.

Yes, we do move pianos sometimes.  The movers tend to need a couple  
weeks notice and we can't always provide that.  I observed a method  
where a skid isn't even necessary, and we have moved pianos a number  
of times without one.  That's just too much extra work to move pianos  
around in the same building.

As for your back, hey man, I literally feel your pain.  I'm only 39  
and I've had severe chronic back problems since my early 20s.  But it  
doesn't take moving a piano to put me flat on the floor for a week.   
Just going to the bathroom or tying my shoes has done it.  I have a  
very good relationship with my Chiropractor who has come to my house  
on more than one occasion to get me going.  I used to think my back  
would occasionally "slip out of place", and that was what was causing  
my problems.  But what I finally learned more than anything else,  
including MRI evidence of arthritis, is that dehydration is the  
primary cause of my back problems.  You won't hear that from an  
orthopedic doctor because there are no drug sales involved, so there  
is "no research linking muscle spasms to dehydration".  But think  
about it.  What do they give athletes when they get cramps?  A back  
spasm is mainly a muscle cramp in hyperdrive.  Once I started being  
more conscious of dehydration, my back problems have eased off.  The  
couple times I have been on my back, I've realized I hadn't been  
keeping hydrated as I should.  Tip:  If you feel thirsty, you're  
already dehydrated.  Drinking plenty of water is also a good remedy  
for lots of other health problems as well.

The other thing to be aware of is the curvature and strength of the  
lower back and abs.  Exercises where you just lay on your stomach and  
raise your upper torso will help build the muscles in the lower back  
AND help to maintain the proper curvature of the lower spine.  I will  
even do exercises during a tuning to restore the proper curve.  Seats  
in cheap automobiles generally have not zero, but REVERSE lumbar  
support and generally put a lot of stress on the spine because they  
ride pretty rough as well.  Office chairs are rough on the spine  
also.  You can roll up a towel and wrap it around your lower torso  
while you sleep or sit to help with the lumbar curve.  And crunches  
to build those abs will take some of the strain off of the muscles of  
the back.

A book called "Treat Your Own Back" by Robin McKenzie is an excellent  
resource.

http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3407095364165&isbn=0959774661

Occasionally spending time with a good massage therapist is also an  
excellent investment.

Wish you well,
Jeff




On Feb 22, 2006, at 12:31 PM, Rob & Helen Goodale wrote:

> Hello,
> Typically I stay in the back ground and just observe the list but I  
> have worthy inquiry.  I am the staff tech at UNLV, (University of  
> Nevada, Las Vegas).  We have +/-65 pianos and occasionally a few  
> must be moved around.  I have one grand and one upright that I keep  
> aside for when someone needs one for special events.  The upright  
> has a permanent heavy truck on it for moving around.  For grands I  
> use a method that involves tilting the piano up onto the skid while  
> it's already on the dolly.  The dolly is custom made with extra  
> large hard wheels.  Two of the wheels do not swivel so that it  
> doesn't skip out while lifting.  If it is a reasonably small grand,  
> (nothing larger than a C-3), then it is surprisingly simple.  I'm  
> sure there are others who do this.  Anyway to the point.
>
>
> After lifting and moving pianos for years my back has just about  
> had it.  Every so often it slips out of place and I find myself in  
> pain for several days.  Recently I was required to move several  
> pianos in a day and it just about did me in.  This morning I found  
> myself stiff and unable to crawl out of bed.  The reality is that I  
> can't continue doing this.  At age 40 I have a long way to go and I  
> don't fancy ruining my back for the likes of ungrateful university  
> staff.
>
> I would like to know what other university techs have done  
> regarding piano moves.  Because of liability reasons they are not  
> too enthusiastic about getting students to do it.  The facilities  
> management people are not reliable and can't be trusted to show up  
> on time.  The Faculty is certainly not interested in getting their  
> hands dirty.  I have occasionally called in another outside tech  
> but that is not always possible.  Unfortunately my Jedi skills  
> aren't mastered well enough to move pianos using "The Force".   
> So... what do YOUdo?
>
> Rob Goodale, RPT
> Las Vegas, NV
>



Jeff Tanner, RPT
University of South Carolina




---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/10/d8/a9/75/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--