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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The safest next step.
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
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This C major sonata by Scarlatti feels brisk and playful, built on bouncing motifs and rhythmic ripostes that call for clarity and lightness rather than sustained lyricism. You will face specific challenges in Connaissance des formes (3.6/5): you must clearly shape the binary sections and manage repeats so the phrases converse, and in Analyse harmonique (3.6/5): you need to anticipate modulations and cadences to prepare accents and dynamics with secure finger control. From the Baroque period, this sonata is typical of Scarlatti’s short, virtuosic instrumental pieces that explore contrasts between the hands when adapted to the piano.