Things in Themselves, 2 pieces, op. 45
Modern Piece Piano solo ~5 min
In brief

The pieces convey a sharp, restless character, shifting between ironic detachment and biting outbursts rather than long lyrical lines. You will face passages of Polyrhythm 2 against 3 (3.1/5) requiring precise finger and wrist independence to keep steady conflicting pulses, and Phrasing (2.5/5) where very short musical breaths must be shaped by mobile legato and careful control of right-hand articulation. These two miniatures belong to Prokofiev's modern period and sit among his piano works that investigate sonic contrast and economy of means. I do not list a reference interpretation here, out of caution about the accuracy of specific recordings.

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MusicCoach difficulty
65/100
Advanced
Likely range : 53–77/100
Confidence : 40% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 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
70%
Among Sergei Prokofiev
74%
Era Modern
88%
Genre
Estimated skills
Rhythm
Polyrhythm 2 against 3
1
Style
Modern and contemporary style
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
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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