Learning Supplements for Intermediate Song 10: Fanfare Minuet

from 30 Progressive duets for Low-G Ukulele

This is installment number 20 of 30 supplemental learning lessons to accompany the Book 30 Progressive Duets for Low-G Ukulele: Purchase HERE

History and Background

• William Duncombe
  The Fanfare Minuet was written by William Duncombe, an English composer and organist in London in the late 18th century. The piece is often reprinted in pedagogical collections and is likely an excerpt from Progressive Lessons for the Harpsichord and Piano Forte, published in 1778 or 1785.

• The history of the Fanfare Minuet is connected to the history of the minuet dance and the Baroque style:

• Minuet dance
  The minuet dance may have originated from French peasant dances that became associated with the upper class. By the 1660s, minuets were popular at the court of King Louis XIV. Minuets are slow, stately dances in three parts, similar to a waltz.

• Baroque style
  The Fanfare Minuet is written in the Baroque style, which combines a regal fanfare with the dance-like elements of a minuet.
  

Learning Supplement: Useful Scales

Audio Play-Along

This lesser-known piece introduces some new skills to add to your arsenal of ukulele musicianship. Uke 1 (see above) uses the same notes in two different places on the fretboard. This can help you learn to organize your fingerings efficient movement to suit the passages you are playing. This part requires shifting between the 5th, 7th and 10th positions.

Uke 2 introduces another non-linear opportunity in finger/note organization. This part is shown in the 2nd position and includes playing a lower note on a higher string than its subsequent note. In other words, the E is played on the 2nd string and the higher F is played on the 3rd string. This approach can yield some bell or harp-like sounds that is referred to as campanella style in classical guitar.

Uke 1 Audio

Uke 2 Audio

Both Parts Audio