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.
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A useful leap with guided practice.
This F major sonata has a bright, sprightly character, built on quick conversational figures and accompanying figures that require crisp articulation to preserve the rhythmic drive. You will specifically face challenges with Ornaments (baroque) (3.1/5): execute trills and short embellishments with secure, concise finger work so appoggiaturas speak without weighing down the line, and with Knowledge of forms (3.6/5): understand the binary layout and repeats to shape phrases and prepare clear contrasts between the two sections. Within Scarlatti's output, the piece belongs to his large body of keyboard sonatas from the Baroque era, which often probe virtuosity and instrumental color. I do not give a reference interpretation here out of caution.