The most naturally gifted pianist who ever lived may have never seen a piano. One doesn't need any study to confirm practice, rightly done [1] improves performa

The most naturally gifted pianist who ever lived may have never seen a piano. One doesn't need any study to confirm practice, rightly done [1] improves performance, only to attempt to quantify it.[2] The better adage is one I first heard from a Little League coach: "Practice like you play." [1] Practicing incorrectly can lead to bad muscle memory that can hinder performance. E.g. learning to touch type after years of 4 finger hunting and pecking v learning how to touch type the first time you start using a keyboard. [2] Sitting in a waiting room years ago I read an article in a science digest of some sort extolling how physicists explained why the air smells differently after rain. They used time-laspe photography, zoom, and optical spectography (???) Or something to capture spores being released into the air. I was baffled. Once you know of the actual existence of molecules, spores, and the like why would you need to prove to your eyes what your nose already tells you. If you think it's a bad example I am not knowledgeable enough to say you're wrong, but I do belive humans in general have a disposition to more readily accept evidence received by the eye than we are any other sense except touch.