"Glad to hear you got bending licked as well."

Great pun!

Interestingly, I've recently been spending quite a bit of time over the past few months doing something similar to what you describe: I listen to songs on Pandora and try to play along by adding improvised fills to those utilizing pentatonic scales over simple chord progressions. I've had mixed success but it's always challenging and fun, and I am making some headway with training my ear.

Serendipitously, only minutes after reading your last post, I came across a pertinent lesson on a GuitarTricks channel by Gary Heimbauer entitled "Tips for Older Beginners" that addresses the very musical practice that we're both dabbling in. His approach to learning and teaching guitar is different from anything else I've come across on the site. I think you might like it.

Sascha