Before recording technology, music came in two forms: written and performance. With the arrival of recorded music, the concept of 'recording artist' arose and the recording itself became the most important form of a piece of music. Mention 'Hey Jude' to someone, for example, and they’ll think of the recording made by The Beatles on that specific day at Abbey Road, not the sheet music or a live performance. The recording is the music. As such, a cover version is a reworking of a recording.

There have been many great cover versions over the years and everybody has their own favourites. Here are some basic principles to stick to when considering songs to do cover versions of:

• Choose wisely. Pick a song that you think sounds like a sketch of the song it could be. Try to think like Jimi Hendrix must have thought when he heard Bob Dylan's original Country strumming version of 'All Along The Watchtower'. Don't cover a song because it's your favourite, or it's a classic recording. You may be trying to recreate the ambience of the studio, a moment in time that can never be reproduced.

• Innovate. Do something different with the song. Don't just learn it and play it note for note. Try female vocals instead of male, a different tempo, rhythm or chord structure. If you have choosen your song wisely this will be easier.

• Live limitations. Don't try a faithful reproduction of a recording unless you have the right band set up. Even then, some tracks may still be out of reach. Bohemian Rhapsody is a great song and a classic recording, but even Queen struggled to play it live