Playing and singing covers can be a lot of fun, but at the same time it can be a bit tricky as well.
When you start out playing covers you may use tabs and chords you have found somewhere on the net. Hopefully you can find the chords which are in the same key as the orginal key.

Once you do have the chords for the correct key you may want to start singing along with these chords. Hang on, can you actually sing in that key or…………..
A lot of beginners may try to get along in the key of the orginal song, even though the orginal key may be too low or far too high. The trick is to understand that you can actually sing (and play) that song in any key. It is far better to find the key which works for your voice, as your voice will sound more natural. You will end up with a song which you will sing better and the overal song will sound more convincing as well.
Over time you may want to change the key and at some point you may be able to sing the song in the orginal key.

Like with guitarplaying, mimicking someone else’s singingvoice requires skill. Look at the phrasing of the melody and the accents and try to get a feel for them as you sing the song on your own. You could first copy the orginal by singing along with a recording. Once you feel you know how to sing the song try to move away from the original and play the song on your own while you sing along with your own playing. Once you start playing the song on your own (without support of the original backing) it will probably feel a bit strange. Perfectly normal, as you need to get used to your feel of playing and singing the song on your own, make sure you get the vocal phrasing right and keep going. Over time it will start to sound (and feel) much better.

Enjoy,
Eddie