Differences in behavioral and cortical indices in pianists and non-musicians during a non-musical motor planning task: An event-related potential study

•No significant differences were found between pianists and non-musicians at the behavioral level.•At the neural level, we found an interaction between direction and group indicating pianists showed lower P2 amplitude in CW direction (lateral movements).•We found a complexity effect at the behavioral and neural levels.•Further research is warranted to support the far-transfer theory of piano learning to motor planning in a different task outside the music context.