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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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.
Poulenc's Valse has a light yet incisive character, hovering between a playful salon dance and sudden sharp accents that pierce the flow, requiring a bright clarity without losing buoyancy. Key technical points: Phrasing (3.9/5) — you will need to shape short, often detached lines by sculpting each motif with careful attack and dynamic shading so the phrases breathe; Tempo rubato (3.9/5) — the performance calls for controlled, slight rhythmic flexibility, stretching or compressing certain beats briefly without destroying the waltz's forward drive. It belongs to Poulenc's modern period and is part of his piano output where popular gestures and refined harmonic language coexist within his catalogue. I do not provide a reference interpretation because I cannot be fully certain of a specific recording for this piece.