I thought THIS might interest some of you.

13-14 hours a day?!

I'm working from home tomorrow, so am planning on using this as an educational tool - I really want to see how she works I've already seen her splitting hands a few times to overcome difficulties (something I seem to have become averse to, despite my teacher's insistence).

Puts my "excessive" 4 hours a day into perspective doesn't it!

I love that, what a brilliant idea!

however, I'm so mesmerised watching her when I should be getting on with my own practise!

Hands separate practice is something I rationally think is tremendously helpful yet I am so unwilling to do it every time. My teacher advocates it in many cases (if it is Chopin, to have a positive sense of the chords, which often keep changing, if it is Bach, to be aware of the many melodies that go on at the same time, if it is a Study, to become fully aware of the fingering and so on and so forth). However, I am always so reluctant ... This is one thing that my will power does not help me with and deep down, maybe because I feel it is so unmusical, sort of listening to a symphony but only hearing the winds or only the strings ... In any case, I'd better make an effort and grow to like it as it is most useful. Just how long the HS stage should last I don't know but I guess you need to practise that way until the part under study is well learnt.

Sadly I can only watch this at work as our home connection is too slow. I'm bewitched by her incredible attention, concentration, grasp of the work, speed of assimilation and lack of coffee.

Hmm. When she is just starting work on a new piece she starts from a level that most of us will never reach.

Well I did lots of hands separate practice when I got home on my new piece, after I was stumbling about a bit. End result is 8 bars are reasonably secure already, and I know where my hands are going without having to keep looking. So that's me taught..

I agree that with some music, HS is just not pleasing to the ear, which is possibly why I have an aversion to it.

Also, on another piece I'm struggling with, I did lots of HS in my lesson, picking it apart and identifying where all the issues are. So, yep, while I'm extremely reluctant to do it, it seems that it's necessary.

I was told by another forumite that a concert pianist they spoke to said they spent a large amount of time working on pieces HS...

Yup, at my level (about grade 1), it feels like she know all the pieces she's playing. However, I take it that she's learning them. It's just amazing how good her sight reading is and how quickly she picks things up. Yesterday night, however, I was kind of 'happy' to notice that she was making some mistakes and was repeating certain bits. So, yes, there is still hope for the rest of us...

I dont suppose she ever sits at her computer whiling away the hours watching someone else do their piano practice.

Does she stop to eat

Undoubtedly. I think she must eat rather a lot because all I've seen when I've visited the site is an empty piano.
Maybe I'm omitting some vital step. That or she's away recital-ing.

You need to switch your sleeping patterns to accommodate 9-10AM EST to midnight

Good idea. I've been looking early evenings BST because work pcs won't open the site. Perhaps even La Lisitsa has had enough by then and is in the bath with a double vodka. (calm down, chaps!)