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.
This C minor sonata feels sharp and restless, with quick exchanges between the hands and accented rhythmic projections that require sustaining momentum without becoming harsh. You will need to focus especially on Ornaments (baroque) (3.1/5), which here mean short, precise embellishments (mordents/grace notes) executed with relaxed fingers and strict timing, and on Bass-clef reading (Lecture clé de fa) (3.1/5), since the low-register jumps demand confident bass-clef reading and fast left-hand shifts. From the baroque period, this sonata belongs to Scarlatti's large set of keyboard pieces intended for study and enjoyment, showing his taste for sudden contrasts and harmonic-rhythmic invention. I do not suggest a reference recording here because I cannot confidently single out one definitive interpretation for this particular sonata.