Minuet in G
Strumming: 3/4: melody + bass
Focus: Baroque phrasing, first-position melody + bass; the A7→D secondary-dominant color
Transpose · Capo
The original key is inferred from the first chord in the chart. Transposing changes the chords you have to play; to keep easy shapes, switch to “Capo” instead.
💡 Too high to sing? Move down. Too low? Move up. Guys often go a few keys below the original, women a bit above — that's just a starting point. You've got it right when you can sing the highest line of the chorus comfortably.
Chords in this song
✦ = harder to play (mostly barre); try a capoChord progression
Play-along
Chords change automatically to the beat (following the current key G). Get it smooth slowly, then speed up.
One bar of count-in first, then the chord changes automatically each bar. Get it smooth slowly, then speed up bit by bit.
Practice ladder · from playing it to playing it well
Not sure how to practice? Follow these four steps — each has a clear goal and a concrete method.
- 1
Get the chords ringing
Goal: every chord clear, no buzzingGet this song's 4 chords ringing one by one and switchable (G · D · C · A7). Press each alone first, then switch in pairs; for any that won't ring, scroll to “Don't know these chords?” below, or use the chord-change timer for a one-minute challenge.
- 2
Play it through in time
Goal: no stalls with the metronome, start to finishUsing the “3/4: melody + bass” strum, open the metronome and connect the whole song from a slow tempo, no pausing on the changes; while you're at it, spot which chord progression it follows.
- 3
Play it with feel
Goal: dynamics and a sense of breathBaroque phrasing, first-position melody + bass; the A7→D secondary-dominant color。
- 4
Own it & make it yours
Goal: explain why it works and change up your own versionUnderstand why the harmony goes the way it does, then use the Transpose / Capo control above to change keys, and try reworking the rhythm, adding color chords or improvising — turn “I can play this one” into “I can play many.”
The progression behind this song
Recognize this go-to progression and you can play loads of songs by analogy:
Practice this in the courses
A course uses this very song as a practice piece — follow it step by step, faster than fumbling on your own:
Music theory deep dive
Key: G majorUnderstanding why a song's harmony moves the way it does matters more than memorizing the chords.
Structure
Chord function
Function: Tonic= the stable home · Subdominant= sets up the departure · Dominant= tension that wants to come home. Harmony is the story of leaving → tension → coming home.
Highlights
- Secondary dominantA7: a “dominant-of-the-dominant” push that existed in the Baroque eraIVIV/VV
The A7 in the second phrase is the tune's finishing touch: G major should have Am here, but instead it uses A7 with a C♯ — it's the dominant 7th of D (the dominant), i.e. V/V, the dominant of the dominant. That non-diatonic C♯ pulls strongly toward the D note, so the phrase is pushed steadily onto the D of the half cadence. A minuet of three hundred years ago and a pop song today use the very same move.
Tip: On the A7 bar, play the C♯ at the 3rd string, 2nd fret clearly — the secondary dominant's “push” is all in that non-diatonic note.
- CadenceA three-part call and answer: stop on V, then come homeIIVVI
The first phrase unfolds around the tonic, the second makes a half cadence on D (the sentence half-said), and the close lands fully with I–IV–V–I — a textbook “question — suspense — answer” three-part structure. That closing phrase is the standard model of the “authentic cadence,” and you can play the whole phrase along in the progression library.
Tip: Treat the D ending the second phrase as a “comma” and the G ending the close as a “period,” shaping the dynamics accordingly, and the phrasing comes right out.
- Time signature / style3/4 minuet: the elegant “strong, weak, weak”
The minuet is a Baroque court dance, in 3/4 time at a leisurely tempo. Step firmly onto the bass (usually the chord root) on beat 1, and let the upper voices move lightly on beats 2 and 3 — it's of the same “strong, weak, weak” family as the waltz, but more dignified and less swaying. Fingerpick the bass with p and bring out the melody with rest strokes, and you'll have the character it should have.
Tip: Don't play it fast: this is a “strolling” dance, and around 100–110 beats per minute has the most flavor.
Don't know these chords? Learn them in the courses
A Baroque minuet (G major, BWV Anh. 114, now generally credited to Petzold), public domain. A classic introductory piece for classical guitar / fingerstyle—3/4 time, mostly first position; the harmonic skeleton is given here, with the melody in the upper voice. The A7→D is a secondary dominant (V/V), echoing Stage 6's "secondary dominants."