Vivaldi's Storm

The wonderful beauty of Vivaldi's style of writing is apparent in his pieces.  This was a piece I never thought I would play but here it is.  It's not easy to make one banjo sound like 100 orchestral violins in syncopation.

Please remember that I am no trained classical musician. I play the melodies and then add my own flavor, style, and improv.  Improvising or making music up fresh, new, and on the spot is one of my favorite things to do. It was also a favorite of many of the great composers as it puts the player to the test to be flawless in the moment.  I do believe that the banjo has a strong expressive capability quite comparable to the piano being that they share the same notes. So they share the same possibilities. Of course the banjo does not have the octaves the piano has but still does hold the same ability in the hands of a skilled player. These particular pieces I have played however, should not be placed in the same category as the originals for two reasons. One being I am not a classically trained musician and am only playing these tunes by ear b/c I cannot read music. The second being that I do not approach the tunes in the traditional note for note sense. I come at it from more of a 'jazz' like approach in that I play the melody and work into some improvisation and then return to the melodies. I am fusing more of my personal style with some of these wonderful epic styles.