Hi Andrew - I came to GT primarily to learn how to jam, so I launched into the lessons and artist studies first.  Finished both Blues courses and tapped into portions of other courses that I found of interest.  The songs were like "treats" I'd give myself when I needed a burst of inspiration or just saw something I wanted to play.

I do agree with doug in the sense that learning the songs hone a very specific skill set and, I might add, really improve your ear for things.  It's also fun to create a set list from the GT song catalog and see if you can't play an entire set as you would during a gig.

My 10 cents.

Rumble