Instrumental Conundrum

 As someone who is self-taught in just about everything (that's what you get when you're a loner raised by PBS), it pains me to pay money for instrument lessons*.  I've gotten this far on my own, and most of that learnin' was before YouTube!  But I've hit kind of a wall in my electric guitar playing so lately I've been wondering if perhaps a few lessons would help be over the hump.  I've gone so far as to find the instructor.  

Now comes one of the difficult part (and it gets real deep psychologically): What is it that I want from these lessons?

I started jotting down some notes.  Do I want to learn how to position my fingers to avoid fret buzz when picking that high note of a F#m chord?  Maybe I need some pointers on certain guitar parts that I've been playing for years but am still not consistent.  What about tips and tricks to jazz up my strumming patterns?

Somewhere along the way I started to analyze myself... never a good thing.  Do I *want* to learn more electric guitar?  What would happen if I spent as much time practicing electric guitar as I do, say, looking at guitar pedals?  Do I even really enjoy playing it?  I mean, I LOOOOVE playing bass, especially with a group.  I'll admit that it's kind of "meh" playing bass by yourself, which is why I learned acoustic guitar almost twenty years ago.  I have a thick binder full of songs and have enjoyed many hours singing along to some of my favorite songs while strumming away on an acoustic.  But some songs don't lend well to acoustic guitar and I do so love me a wall of distortion.  

Are there any songs I can play all the way through on the electric?  I'm not so sure and therein (therein?  Who am I?  Gandolf?!?!) lies the question of passion.  Do I really, really, really want to learn this instrument and if so, why?  And what?  I know many bass lines all the way through and the same for acoustic strummin' songs.  Maybe the issue is that I'm always practicing guitar and never playing it**.  The difference, as I see it, is practicing is like going to school and playing is using what you learned.  I've been in electric guitar school for years and don't have much to show for it.  When I hear a song I may appreciate the guitar riff/line/whatever*** but it's the bass part that truly grabs my ear.  Am I just learning electric guitar bits because they stand alone better than playing bass by itself?  Can you see the conundrum that I'm in?!?!?



* Plus I'm a cheap-skate.  Er, I mean I'm thrifty!

** Or if I do play it usually resorts to power chords.  Lots of fun... for a few minutes.

*** Especially Summerland.  And Goldilox.  Those are some great songs!  If I learned those songs my wife would fall even deeper in love me with.  Even though she doesn't know the original songs I'm certain it would happen and she might even go out on a date with me.