Here's a classic (Hey, 2011 is classic, right?) blog post by Matt Scharfglass, a multi-instrumentalist, professional musician and former music editor at Guitar World. It's the result...
Here's a classic (Hey, 2011 is classic, right?) blog post by Matt Scharfglass, a multi-instrumentalist, professional musician and former music editor at Guitar World. It's the result of our having innocently asked him, "What's the most difficult song you've ever transcribed?" P.S.: You can find more vintage Scharfglass columns under RELATED ARTICLES below.
I’m often asked what’s the hardest song I’ve ever transcribed. The answer is not an offering by Yngwie Malmsteen, Dream Theater or Buckethead. It’s “Mrs. Potter's Lullaby” by Counting Crows[1], a song from 1999's This Desert Life[2].
Let me begin by saying that there's only a handful of bands/artists I actively dislike. My tastes are pretty eclectic and run the gamut from dissonant/atonal/harsh/obscure to the most syrupy, accessible pop. Even if something doesn’t move me, or if I simply don’t like it, I can still understand why other people might, and I’ll appreciate it for what it is.
In the first draft of this blog entry, right here was where I listed the many reasons I can’t deal with [Counting Crows frontman] Adam Duritz. But after a good night’s sleep and some cookies, I now feel comfortable with making column this less about Duritz and more about “Mrs. Potter.” I have therefore decided to take the high road.
The playing, as you might have assumed, is not difficult. But the production is stacked. There are four guitar tracks using three different tunings—and one has a capo—so each guitar part needs to be written out separately (meaning no arranging two similar parts for one guitar). And the parts are through-arranged, meaning no one ever plays the same thing from one verse/chorus to the next—read: minimal repeats and rhythm figures; almost every note from beginning to end