Many people can practice for hours at a time, learning a song perfectly. And then the day comes when it's time to sing along. They finish the piano intro with a flourish, and just as they come to the verse, they open their mouth and nothing comes out. Or if it does come out, it's not syncing up with the notes being played on the piano.

Singing while playing piano (accompanying on piano), or any instrument for that matter, can be a real challenge, even if you're a seasoned singer and pianist.

The reason is simple. There's a lot going on. When you're just playing the piano, you have the bass line and chords going with the left hand and the melody on the right. Your feet are working the pedals and your brain is keeping track of time and syncopation. And now, on top of all that you want to add singing while playing piano.

Small wonder why you're having difficulty. To help you master singing while playing piano, here are some helpful tips:

Learn the song on piano first. While it's tempting to try to learn the vocals and music on the piano at the same time, resist. It's far easier to learn them separately. Start with the song on the piano, learning the chording and melody so that it becomes second nature to you. Because you're continually learning the melody over and over as you master the music, it will be far easier to learn the vocal part.

Work on your vocals next. You want to do this a cappella. Alternately, you can use a recording of the song and sing along with it on your iPod or other music player. As you get to know the song, pull out one of the ear buds so you can hear yourself. Keep working through the verses, chorus and bridge until you can sing it all the way through without stopping. This will allow you to work on the song without having to constantly look at the lyrics sheet, which can cause you to lose your place.

Time to bring them together. Once you know the vocal, it's time to sit back down at the piano. Don't try to tackle the whole song at once. Instead, break it down into sections. For example, work on just the intro and the first verse. Make them fluid and continue to go over them until they are silky smooth. Then work on the chorus. Again, work on it until it is smooth. Then start from the beginning and go through the intro, verse and chorus together and keep looping through these. Once you're comfortable, tackle the next section the same way. Continue to build the song in this manner.

Repetition is your friend. Learning a song requires a lot of repetition. This can't be emphasized enough. While it may seem boring and while you may want to jump ahead so you can perform the entire piece, you really need to do the individual parts over and over again so you don't even have to think about them. Every professional musician in the world has to learn to be disciplined in their use of repetition when learning to sing with the piano, or any instrument for that matter.

Start with a simple song. If you haven't sung much or haven't sung with accompaniment you may want to start with a simple song. This will create fewer distractions and you can learn how to add the music and vocals together without having a lot of chord changes, complex fills and runs or change ups. It will also allow you to do some experimentation with the volume mix and styling's of the two, so your piano playing isn't overpowering your vocals and vice versa. Even though you're working with a simple song, learn the two parts (the instrumentals and vocals) separately as above. This is a habit you want to get into that will serve you well in the long run.

Practice makes perfect. You can't learn this all in a single day. Even if you practice for an hour or more, you need to do it each day, at least for a few minutes. It has to become natural and in the beginning, singing while playing piano will not feel natural. Repetition and practice will help you learn the song so that you don't even have to think about it as you perform. It's a lot like walking and chewing gum at the same time. Eventually you'll get somewhere and enjoy the journey at the same time.