Piper's SongbookHow to play Minuet in G on recorder
Minuet in G uses 9 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, high E, high G and high F♯. The first line goes D′ G A B C′ D′ G G E′ C′ D′ E′ F♯′ G′ G G.
- Notes
- 9: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, high E, high G, high F♯
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 3/4, about 104 beats a minute
- Source
- Christian Petzold, 1720
Minuet in G recorder notes with letters
Each box is one note, with its fingering underneath: filled holes are covered, a half-filled hole is half covered or pinched. Wider boxes are longer notes. A ′ mark means the higher octave, so D′ is high D. Bar lines are drawn as thin rules.
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Letters only, for printing or copying
- D′ G A B C′ | D′ G G | E′ C′ D′ E′ F♯′ | G′ G G
- C′ D′ C′ B A | B C′ B A G | F♯ G A B G | A
- D′ G A B C′ | D′ G G | E′ C′ D′ E′ F♯′ | G′ G G
- C′ D′ C′ B A | B C′ B A G | A B A G F♯ | G
Sheet music
Written pitch for soprano recorder, which sounds an octave higher. Press play to hear it on a recorder sound; the slow setting plays at 60% speed.
Fingerings for the notes in Minuet in G
Hole 0 is the thumb hole on the back. Holes 1 to 3 are for the left hand, 4 to 7 for the right. These are Baroque (English) fingerings.
How to practise it
The third bar runs up to high F♯ and high G. Keep the thumb pinched from high E through the whole run rather than re-placing it for each note.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
For years this minuet was credited to J. S. Bach because it appears in the notebook he gave his wife Anna Magdalena in 1725. It is now known to be by Christian Petzold.
Questions
Is Minuet in G easy on recorder?
It suits a player who already knows the notes from low D to high D. It also needs the thumb pinch for the high notes.
What notes do you need for Minuet in G on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, high E, high G and high F♯. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F♯ and high F♯ are fingered differently on a German recorder; the diagrams above are Baroque, and the linked note pages show both. A recorder whose hole 4 is smaller than hole 5 is Baroque.
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Notes checked against the Piper's Songbook transcription, compared against two or more independent sources. Last checked 6 October 2026.