Playing-Accompanying Compline & Gregorian Chant

Learn to Play the Organ & Keyboard: Using Gregorian Chant, Compline, and Hymns – Beginner-Friendly

What you’ll learn
Play Gregorian chant on keyboard organ confidently – Learn simple techniques to accompany chants accurately.
Accompany the Divine Office / Compline – Learn to provide keyboard accompaniment for prayers, enhancing the beauty and solemnity of liturgical worship.
Develop ensemble accompaniment skills – Support a choir or soloist with appropriate dynamics, tempo, and harmonic reinforcement.
Experience the spiritual depth of Gregorian chant – Connect with the meditative and sacred aspects of chant, fostering reflection and deeper participation.

Requirements
Very Basic Knowledge of the Keyboard and Chant which are in the resources provided.

Description
This course is your complete, step-by-step guide to discovering the beauty and depth of accompanying Gregorian Chant and Compline – the night prayer of the Church. It is designed for organists, pianists, scholas, choir members, directors and church musicians of all levels who want to confidently support singing in a reverent and musically appropriate way.

Pius X emphasized that Gregorian chant isn’t just beautiful – it helps people enter more deeply into prayer because of its simplicity, sacred character and close connection to the liturgical texts.

Enrolling in this course gives you lifetime access to the lesson videos, allowing you to revisit the lessons anytime: pause, rewind and replay each video or specific parts of a video until you feel confident and at ease. The course also includes carefully prepared resource materials to support your learning and help you quickly grasp the essentials of Gregorian chant and keyboard accompaniment.

No advanced music theory is required – just a very basic ability to play; however, you need a desire to learn, serve and a great deal of goodwill.

What You’ll Learn

• How Gregorian chant works and how to follow its natural rhythm

• Simple, effective harmonies that enhance prayer without overwhelming it

• Practical techniques for accompanying psalms, antiphons, hymns, canticles such as the Nunc Dimittis

• The role of silence, phrasing, and modal harmony in creating a prayerful atmosphere

• How to adapt your playing to different skill levels, liturgical settings, and group sizes

• Techniques and skills that will help you eventually accompany any chant or piece of sacred music

Very Important Practical Tips for Consistency and Mastery
To help you progress steadily and ultimately reach mastery

• Practice regularly (Repetitio Mater Studiorum) — short, focused, daily sessions are more effective than occasional long ones

• Record yourself — listening back helps you identify areas for improvement and refine your playing

• Focus on one skill at a time — rhythm, harmony or phrasing can be practiced individually and you could also master one hand at a time before combining both

• Use a steady tempo — accuracy and consistency builds confidence in accompaniment, not speed

• Be patient and reflective — mastery comes gradually and small improvements accumulate over time

• Apply what you learn in real liturgical settings whenever possible — practical experience is invaluable

Little by little, with dedication and consistent practice, you’ll gain the confidence and skill to accompany chants with fluidity, sensitivity, authenticity and musicality – whether for personal prayer, parish liturgy or small community gatherings.

Bring a deeper sense of calm, devotion, and musical beauty to your accompaniment of Gregorian chant. Let this course guide you to play in a way that serves both the music and the prayer.

Ave Maria!

Who this course is for
This course is for anyone who wants to learn to accompany Gregorian chant on keyboard, including choir directors, scholas, choir members, church musicians and those seeking to deepen their appreciation of sacred music.