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 D major sonata has a lively, playful character, alternating fast figures and bright responses that call for crisp articulation and clear contrast without exaggeration. You will need to focus on Analyse harmonique (3.6/5) to follow the shifting progressions and pinpoint cadences so you can shape phrases where the bass drives the line, and on Ornements baroque (3.1/5) which here require short, precise execution of appoggiaturas and small mordents, coordinated with the pulse to keep the forward motion. From the Baroque period, the piece belongs to Scarlatti's large body of keyboard sonatas and reflects his taste for virtuosic dialogue and echo effects. I have not listed a specific recording here for caution; if you want, I can look up well-regarded performances and provide verified recommendations.