I think the biggest reason I disagree with that is from the experience of extensive music training. I can play instruments almost automatically, and think about other stuff while playing now. But it took years and years of careful, conscious work to train my subconscious and muscles and hands to be able to do that...
While you can develop actions and skills to the point where you can do them without needing almost any conscious input, it just seems ridiculous to say there's no control from the conscious part of the mind and it's just an illusion...
That doesn’t seem to contradict the first explanation. It’s not surprising that your subconscious mind could acquire abilities due to practice initiated by your conscious mind, just like it’s not surprising that your muscles can grow due to exercise initiated by your conscious mind.
You are missing the radical claim being made here. Your conscious mind only discovers you are playing an instrument by observing that you are doing it.
Yeah, that much of the conscious work is while actually sitting down and playing was kinda implied (some is theory though but mostly while physically practicing).
While you can develop actions and skills to the point where you can do them without needing almost any conscious input, it just seems ridiculous to say there's no control from the conscious part of the mind and it's just an illusion...