Copyright might well be part of the problem. The original song (basic melody) is owned by the author of the song, and in order to publish an arrangement, the arranger/publisher must get permission from the original author to create the transcription or arrangement. If he creates an exact transcription, then he does not own anything unique when he publishes it. The original author can sell the same right to lots of publishers, to produce what is essentially identical sheet music. Furthermore, it may be difficult to clear the rights for the actual arrangement of the song that was recorded, because there may be multiple authors. The band may have worked out the arrangement in practice, and each player may have a protectable contribution to the final result. 
 
If, instead of transcribing/copying the single arrangement or the author's lead sheet, the publisher makes a unique arrangement, he has created a derivative work of the original, in which he has his own protectable right. Then if another publisher gets permission to use the original, the new arrangement is protected, and no other publisher can duplicate it without the permission of both the original author, and the arranger of the published altered version. The simplest version that will convey the melody and chord progression is often found in the "fake book" version(s), which is not what most publishers want to be selling, and which might all look enough alike to cause the various fake book publishers to claim infringement against each other.

slartabartfast
Copyright might well be part of the problem. The original song (basic melody) is owned by the author of the song, and in order to publish an arrangement, the arranger/publisher must get permission from the original author to create the transcription or arrangement.
...

The best one yet, though ... is this ... and it was in "Behind the Music" with The Police, when Andy showed that one song sounded terrible when he played it out of his stack, but it came alive with the stack and effects on it!
 
The Edge, showed the same thing in the film "It's Gonna Get Loud" ...
 
What you even see "transcribed" is actually an "approximation" since what Andy Summers is actually playing, in many cases, is not something that you even want to learn or consider, at all!
 
Tricks of the trade? How's he going to copyright, compressor at 1, 2, 3 and 4 different settings, flanger with 3, wow with 3, chorus with 5 different settings and so much more that we can not even describe it on the sheet at all!
 
To me, this is the best/worst part of a lot of modern music ... you don't even know that the actual notes being played ... are terrible if you were to hear them naturally!
 
And even worse than that ... the new/inexperienced musician doesn't even know about that ... or consider it, as opposed to a classical musician within an orchestra and such. Even jazz is guilty in this area!

 
Speaking of Edge and his effects... Love this!

The intro to GnR's "Welcome to the Jungle" comes to mind as does certain studio effects East Bay Ray from the Dead Kennedy's would pull.
 
But yeah, The Edge's parts are essentially unplayable without all that extra gack slapping around. I THINK he is a decent guitar player but it's hard to tell and I can't be arsed really. Every now and then I'll see a vid of them playing live as young little punks and there's a lot more definition and I like it and I certainly don't DISLIKE the later wackier stuff. It takes some skill to pluck things just right to make effects respond in such a way but it buries the actual playing and that's... well annoying for someone who learns and ponders by ear.
 
On some of these guit sims there are some The Edge (gawd that moniker annoys me) presets and they pretty much do what they should. They kind of make you realize though that you can play VERY little and get it sounding like him. Like pluck a note here and there and just make sure you time it right and it's in key and bingo bango... you just wrote a The Edge guitar part.
 
IDK... conficting because the end result is nice enough and it's good song writing and I've gotta respect minimalism and creative use of technology BUT as a riffer/shredder it seems like a cheat on various levels.
 
So really I have no freaking clue what my opinion is on "The Edge" as guitarist because he's so buried in weirdness and effects who the frack knows what's going on.
 
And that kind of has me thinking of Alex Lifeson for some reason. Rush are just such a wall of trio and you listen to the guy's solos sometimes and it's all kind of weird and sloppy but works. Then he's just such a part of the cohesive unit that is Rush that his skill just kind of gets buried. But if you listen deep and understand how he's meshing himself into it all it's AMAZING.
 
IDK man there are some strange players out there in mega hit bands. You hear them over and over and over again for your whole life that you kind of take them for granted but when you sit down to dissect what they are doing head asplosions occur.
 
Makes all the high speed technical metal stuff seem simplistic in comparison because it isn't so obscure and textured.

Beepster
The Edge (gawd that moniker annoys me)

Probably sounded like a cool idea to an unknown musician in his late teens/early 20s. Not so great when you're 50, but I guess the downside of global fame is that whatever name your younger self became famous under is the name you tend to get stuck with. Young aspiring megastars, take note.

Me, I reckon U2 are clearly good at what they do, but not to my taste at all.

tlw

Beepster
The Edge (gawd that moniker annoys me)

Probably sounded like a cool idea to an unknown musician in his late teens/early 20s. Not so great when you're 50, but I guess the downside of global fame is that whatever name your younger self became famous under is the name you tend to get stuck with. Young aspiring megastars, take note.

Me, I reckon U2 are clearly good at what they do, but not to my taste at all.

Well, if my mama'd given me the birth name Dull Edge, heck, I'd have changed it, too!

Hi,
 
I was just thinking that by the time you look at Fripp's rig, you'll probably think that his playing the "straight" notes would probably sound horrible, too!