Well I'm kinda doing the same with guitar... but to be honest, guitar for me is just a grown ups toy... If dont have fun, I put it down, and do something else, this is why i've learned very few songs, never practice scales.. but i'm really enjoying it...
It would be a lie to say i never sat down and tried to learn to tap, or messed around with scales.. but i did it for fun, not a practical lesson... I still learnt stuff in the end..
(and you'll know us by the trail of dead: lol, those guys aren't bad, "mistakes and regrets" is a great song, it's not got mental solos or anything so it bores guitarists, and it's art rock wich really goes over heads... School bands have no concepts and ideas behind them, they just try to strum power chords, that's a big generalisation... I dont know what a.y.w..u.b.t.d are like live, but their records fairly good, and more to offer than most mainstream stuff... I dont know, it's all taste in the end, some poeple like shallow heavy metal with fast solos that pierce your ear drums, some poeple like sensitive 3 chord rock, what does it matter...)