Years ago I worked as a tech at a university concert
hall. The original technique for moving the Steinway was to put a
call in to "truck service" from the physical plant division and have them
send over everybody. That would provide about 20 guys who would surround the piano and they would llift and crab walk the piano and move it. Then they hired a new concert
hall manager who was a retired music store owner. After that two of us would move the piano. In my opinion tilting it onto its side was the best way to move a piano. We would put the quilted
cover on the piano and strap it on with ratchet straps and we had a piano cradle which was two 2 x 12's with 2 x 4 spacers and a lip at the keyboard end and it was carpet padded on top. We would remove the pedals and then remove the
leg at the
bass end of the keyboard and lower the keyboard to the cradle then gently lower the
bass side of the piano onto the cradle, tilt it into a vertical position and strap it onto the cradle with a couple more ratchet straps and remove the other two legs. Then we could lift up the rounded end and slide a furniture dolly underneath and lower it down onto the wheels of the dolly. Very easy and very gentle on the piano. If we had to deal with stairs or steps on a
portable stage we would remove the furniture dolly and simply slide the cradle up or down the steps.