The subconscious mind is the keeper of skills. Learning a skill is simply programming it into the subconscious mind where the skill can be executed perfectly every time. We delude ourselves into thinking we run the ship, but 95% of our thoughts and actions are habits (programs) running from the subconscious. We, as the conscious mind, simply press the button to execute each program. Walking, talking, driving, all bodily functions, even most thoughts are habitual.
Consciously programming the subconscious mind is the most important skill you can learn.
Interestingly, studies done by Russian athletic programs showed that imagining performing a skill well was actually more effective than practicing the skill physically. Because you don't imagine the mistakes, so you don't reinforce them. A combination of 75% imagination and 25% physical practice yielded the best results.
The subconscious mind is more than a big factory robot to perform complex skills. It also has access to all the knowledge we have ever seen and it also can access the superconscious mind for information we have not seen. Unfortunately we can't discuss superconscious mind because it violates the forum rules, no religion. Ironically, the superconscious mind is where new music comes from, but dogma always swamps any religious discussion so it's still wise precaution. Too bad we can't talk about it. Musicians program their subconscious mind with skills to control their instruments, then while playing they lower their brainwave freq into theta waves to actively connect to subconscious to channel in the inspired thoughts of music improvisation or composition from superconscious, through the subconscious into the conscious mind, which presses the preprogrammed buttons for playing the instrument to convert the spiritual inspiration into sound for others to hear and be inspired that they are touching the source.
My trumpet teacher taught me to keep practicing until I could play it 10x without any mistake. That points the mind in the correct direction of avoiding mistakes rather than playing the mistakes lazily over and over to make them bad habits. It works well, because the frustration of making mistake on the 9th try is exasperating. You gotta start again. Now you are REALLY motivated to play perfectly, and this positive mental energy and focused thought programms the subconscious very quickly and effectively. The sleep (or crawling) locks it into permanent memory and installs a button on the conscious mind's control panel for future use.
When I played improvised solos I would go into theta brainwave pattern and see colors and shapes, which I could convert to button pushes which made the horn do it's thing. I'd come out of the trance with people clapping. I didn't really remember what I played. Often when recording we would just fuck around on the first take to get warmed up. I always recorded it because people were relaxed and not caring about how it comes out. Caring intereferes with the programmed work of the subconscious. Thinking about it fucks it up. On performance day it's too late to think about it, practice time is over. Worrying, doubting, thinking, these will only interfere with the subconsciouses proficiency. On performance day you just relax and have fun. Listen to the piano roll do the magic.