<HTML>In a message dated 7/10/02 11:52:18 AM Central Daylight Time, MWisner@yamaha.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">In the book The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by T E Carhart, the author describes a "baby" grand being moved up a flight of stairs and into his Paris apartment by a piano mover who strapped the piano across his back, with the curve resting on his shoulder.  I'd have dismissed this passage as the meanderings of a clouded and uninformed mind if the author wasn't so accurate in virtually every other technical aspect of the piano.  Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?    Mark Wisner </BLOCKQUOTE> I read the book and remembered saying to my self, "this man is strong." I believe the he had a special blanket arrangement on his back. Small grands weigh about 600 pounds. Although this is not something for everyone, it is not uncommon for one to be able to have that much weight on his back. Once it is balanced, if the legs are strong enough, it can be done. I rebuilt an old 6' Knabe grand, which had to be moved to the second floor. Thiose thigns are heavy, and weigh about 750 - 800 pounds. My usual moving company did this, but the customer wanted me be to be there to "supervise." George, the leader of the crew, put the piano (on a skid), on the stairs, with the tail up. Two guys picked up the tail end, and he got on the keybed side. At first I thought they were going to step it up, one at a time. But on the count of three, the two guys picked up the tail end and George picked up the keybed end, and he muscled it up the stairs, quicker than I could go up the stairs by my self. It was up in less than 5 seconds. He wasn't even breathing hard when he got to the top of the stairs, and he smokes!!! With proper conditioning, and the know how, moving a small baby grand up the steps by yourself can be done. Wim </HTML>