Why are different kinds of learning so differently compressible?
If I can work through a textbook in 20 1-hour sittings, I usually get similar results from 10 2-hour or 5 4-hour sessions. But piano isn’t that way at all: a 20x1hr piece simply can’t be learned in 5 sessions IME.
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This seems quite plausible. Somewhat relatedly, the speed with which your "capacity to advance your learning" is exhausted may be a function of the very level of your advancement.
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So that while you might reach the point of exhaustion with piano after 1 hour, it is not reached until 2, 3, or 4 hours for an academic discipline.
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What would really be interesting to find out is whether there are significant differences for professional concert pianists for learning a brand new piece of music between 20 1-hour sittings and 5 4-hour sessions.
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It might even be possible that it is more efficient for a professional to spend 5 4-hours sessions than 20 1-hour sittings.
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Right! Ericsson did find among music conservatory students that even the best couldn't maintain more than 4-5 hours of practice per day… but they did need to practice that much. So there's something about skill permitting more productive practice.