Alouette - French Traditional

Alouette

Introduce the note D (low D)
Practice five-note range (D, E, G, A, B)
Develop call-and-response pattern recognition

About This Song

Origin: Traditional French Canadian

Difficulty: Beginner

Notes Used: D, E, G, A, B

Time Signature: 4/4

Key: D Major

Fingering Review

Full Song

This traditional French Canadian children's song features a cheerful call-and-response pattern. We'll focus on the main chorus.

Lyrics:

Alouette, gentille alouette,
Alouette, je te plumerai.
Je te plumerai la tête,
Je te plumerai la tête.

Practice Tips

New note D: Low D uses all fingers down on both hands - practice this fingering separately
Range building: This song uses a full five-note range - warm up with scales
Breath control: Take breaths at natural phrase endings
Call-and-response: The repetitive structure makes it easy to memorize

Practice Exercises

Practice moving from E to D smoothly.

Practice the ascending pattern used in the song.

Master the first line of the song.

Practice the E and D section.

Practice the closing ascending pattern.

Historical Context

Alouette is a traditional French Canadian children's song that dates back to at least the 1870s. The title means "lark" in French (a type of bird). The song describes plucking the feathers from a lark in a playful, cumulative pattern. Despite the somewhat dark literal meaning, it has become one of the most beloved French children's songs and is often used to teach French language to English speakers. The simple, repetitive melody makes it perfect for beginning musicians.

Performance Goal: Practice until you can play the entire song smoothly, with particular attention to the low D notes. The call-and-response structure should be clear in your playing.

Next Steps

Once you can play Alouette confidently, try:

Playing along with a recording to match tempo and style
Adding dynamics - try playing the repeated phrases at different volumes
Learning "Lightly Row" which uses the same five notes