Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.
Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.
Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.
The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.
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This rating is computed automatically from heterogeneous sources. It gets things wrong, sometimes badly. If you know this work, your answer is worth more than our computation: it tells us which ratings to review.
Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.
The safest next step.
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
A useful leap with guided practice.
This piece projects a rustic, driven energy, often marked by jagged accents and contrasting figures that feel like a deliberately assembled, joyfully chaotic tableau rather than a seamless melody. You will face specifically the 2 against 3 polyrhythm (3.1/5), which requires clear dissociation between the hands — the practical gesture is to keep the ternary pulse steady in one hand while the other articulates even duplets without being pulled off-beat — and the sustain pedal (2.5/5), which needs careful, short releases to blend certain sonorities without smearing the rhythmic clashes. Placed in Ives's modern period, the piece reflects his taste for layering and stark contrasts within his piano output. I do not cite a specific reference recording here because I prefer not to risk naming an interpretation without full certainty.