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.
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
A useful leap with guided practice.
This sonata has a harsh, incisive character, shifting between striking, jagged episodes and moments of acerbic melody that call for a crisp articulation rather than a smooth cantabile. You will particularly face the skill « Connaissance des formes (3.6/5) », which here means identifying and highlighting large sections (exposition, development, recapitulation) to shape tension and breathing, and « Polyrhythmie 2 contre 3 (3.1/5) », which requires maintaining an independent pulse in one hand while superimposing ternary groupings in the other, demanding precise finger and wrist control to keep steady rhythmic independence. The work belongs to Prokofiev's modern period and is one of his early piano sonatas, already showing his blend of formal clarity and rhythmic distinctiveness. I do not list a reference interpretation here out of caution unless I can be certain of a specific, well-known recording.