Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Belgium
Singer-songwriter Stromae walks us through his personal creative process and the many choices he has to make to create his beautiful songs, such as the one you will hear in the background called "Papaoutai" (Dad, Where Are You?). Knowing what goes into the complex process of making music only deepens our appreciation of his work.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Belgium
In his brilliant song "Papaoutai" (Dad, Where Are You?), Stromae depicts the endless game of hide and seek that some children play with their fathers. Stromae (né Paul Van Haver), who was raised by his mother, lost his own father in 1994 to the Rwandan Genocide.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Canada, France
Corneille reflects on his fifteen-year career as a hip hop variety singer. Born in Germany but raised in Rwanda and now residing in Canada, Corneille absorbed various musical influences, which resulted in an eclectic and interesting mix of genres that he will explain in this video. You will also hear short music clips, one of which is from his latest album Entre nord et sud [Between North and South].
Difficulty: Beginner
France
In guitar lesson number three of this series, it's time to learn a song now that you know how to play rhythms. The song is called "Les Mots" [The Words] by La Rue Ketanou. So pick up your guitar (if you have one) and play along while you learn a little French!
Difficulty: Advanced
Canada
Meet Geneviève Morissette, a singer-songwriter from Montreal whose smart lyrics and beautiful compositions make her stand out on stage.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Meet the members of IAM, a very popular French rap group originating from Marseille. They discuss their successful career and their latest album, Arts Martiens (Martian Arts).
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The Musée des Abattoirs (Slaughterhouse Museum) in Toulouse devoted an entire exhibition to dub music, a subgenre of reggae. The exhibition featured a selection of Jamaican-style sound systems and culminated in a big dub concert.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Discover a unique instrument called the ondes Martenot, a precursor to the synthesizer named after its inventor, Maurice Martenot. This electronic piano-like instrument, once a musical sensation in the 1930's, quickly fell into disuse, but is experiencing a revival thanks to Christine Ott, a talented pianist who adopted this unusual instrument and has worked alongside such musical greats as Radiohead and Yann Tiersen.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The Lille Piano Festival is taking place in a subway station, where pianists bring music to the train commuters for their enjoyment and perhaps a gentle introduction to jazz and classical music.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
The Marseille-based rap group IAM is back after a six-year hiatus with their new album, Arts Martiens (Martian Arts), which is already topping the charts in France. Check out a preview of their song "Notre Dame veille" (Our Lady Watches) in this video.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Yacine Boularès, from the band Afro Groove Collective, talks about the different kinds of saxophones and gives a demonstration of each one. If you'd like to expand your saxophone knowledge even further, check out these Yabla videos from jazz musician Alex Terrier!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Yacine Boularès, a young French musician of Tunisian origin, demonstrates some of the differences between Western and Arabic music on his saxophone. If you like what you hear, check out Yacine's jazz band, Afro Groove Collective.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
The teenage violist Valentin Tournet plays an excerpt from Marin Marais' "Folies d'Espagne" (Follies of Spain) in this interview. He talks about the folia, an early music theme from Spain, as well as the passion for music he developed at a very young age.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Overwhelmed by the amount of text messages and other technological annoyances in his life, singer-songwriter Benjamin Perrot uses this acoustic session on Le Mans TV as an opportunity to "disconnect." Don't let your phone distract you while watching this video!
Difficulty: Beginner
France
The young singer-songwriter Benjamin Perrot has some loud neighbors, and his walls made of cardboard aren't exactly soundproof. You'll see in the video why he wonders if his neighbors are actually "rabbits"....
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