1,000 Days of Piano - Day 160: Standing Still

I realized something the other day. If you work diligently at developing talent by learning new skills and practicing them daily, you will improve. (That’s not the realization.) If you think you don’t have the time to devote to attaining mastery and you just want to maintain your skills, simply practice what you’ve already learned. You won’t go forward, but you won’t go backward, either. If you stop practicing altogether, you will lose your skills.
For some bizarre reason, I thought that most skills were like riding a bike. Once you learn how to ride a s a child, that skill stays with you. You might be a little wobbly the first time you get on after many years, but once you kick off, you’re riding without falling down. For piano, depending on how far you progressed, it isn’t quite the same. If you practice what you already know, you can maintain your skills. You can stand still. If you fail to practice, day by day your skills with wither up, and you’ll no longer be able to play.
Advanced students who haven’t played in a long time, may retain the fundamentals—chords and scales, and simple tunes. Intermediate students who haven’t touched the instrument for years may be able to pick out the simplest tune. The beginner who stops playing will lose everything.

Sometimes it’s good to stand still and maintain skills, to pause and take a break. It’s just important to remember to practice the skills you want to keep.