Sonata no. 3 in F major, op. 46
Modern Sonata Piano solo ~18 min
In brief

The sonata feels brisk and playful at times, alternating buoyant, skipping figures with sharper, more incisive episodes that call for crisp articulation and well-defined touch contrasts. Technically, note the skill « Connaissance des formes (3.6/5) » which here means identifying recurring sections to shape repeats and transitions, and « Polyrhythmie 2 contre 3 (3.1/5) » which requires precise subdivision control and subtle wrist adjustment to layer duple against triple rhythms without losing the pulse. Placed in the modern period, this sonata is part of Kabalevsky’s contributions to solo piano repertoire and shows his tendency to revisit classical forms within a more contemporary idiom. I do not give a recommended recording here because I am not certain of a single, widely recognized interpretation for this specific work.

MusicCoach difficulty
58/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 46–70/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 6 to 7

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.

Where this work sits
050100

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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Relative difficulty
75%
Among Dmitry Kabalevsky
60%
Era Modern
48%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Rhythm
Polyrhythm 2 against 3
1
Style
Modern and contemporary style
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
What to play next?

Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.

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