The Guitar Skill: The Artform
Playing an instrument can be a very different skill and talent compared with other regularly trained abilities. When approached in the right way and used to it's full potential it is universally respected as a creative talent; an art form.
There are two ways to approach the playing of your new instrument when copying a song;
You can either settle for hitting a series of notes you found on a tab site sounding roughly like a song you know, or you can stop to pay attention to every note, hammer, pull, bend and slide, figure out the best finger choice and fret-to-fret transitions for each finger and keep your ear on the case until you are polished enough and confident enough to perform.