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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This rating is computed automatically from heterogeneous sources. It gets things wrong, sometimes badly. If you know this work, your answer is worth more than our computation: it tells us which ratings to review.
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 feels buoyant and agile, built on bright octave leaps and brisk exchanges between the hands that produce a dance-like, pointed energy rather than sustained lyricism. Technically, the “Connaissance des formes (3.6/5)” requires you to identify and shape the contrasting sections (including repeats and returns) so you can manage dynamics and cadence points; the “Ornements baroque (3.1/5)” demand precise execution of small cadences and mordents in the right hand, meaning very quick, concise finger gestures integrated smoothly into the phrasing. From a contextual standpoint, the work belongs to the Baroque and is part of Scarlatti’s large set of solo keyboard sonatas designed to showcase both virtuosity and instrumental effects. I will not name a reference recording here because I am not fully certain of a single widely recognized definitive interpretation for this specific sonata.