If you want to improvise on Mozart you should at least be Beethoven
No need to impro. We are talking about different things.
that is ?
Well, you're talking about improvisation which means, for example, coming up with different licks to Sultans of Swing as you play it. That's what Mark does every show. I'm talking about what The Killers did with R&J, giving their own interpretation to the song, same as Clapton did with I Shot the Sheriff and After Midnight.
What this guy did isn't any of those. Here's an explanation I googled up.
- A cover usually refers to a reinterpretation. This might take the form of creating an acoustic version, a different arrangement, or even just taking the lyrics and coming up with an entirely new melody. E.g.: Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff
- A remake is an attempt at reproduction, playing the song the same way it was originally played. The remakers might put their own twist on it or they might get very technical and try to be exacting, but ultimately it's the same style as the original. E.g.: Dylan Smith - Sultans of Swing