MusicCoach difficulty
99/100
Master repertoire
Likely range : 87–100/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
Beyond grade 8
The grade scale stops at 8; this work belongs to concert or diploma repertoire.
Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.
Where this work sits
050100
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.
Does this rating look right to you?
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.
Relative difficulty
100%
Among Domenico Scarlatti
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Reading
Bass clef reading
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
What to play next?
Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.
Gentle step
The safest next step.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Same level
Same level
Sonata in G major, K.455, L.209
Domenico Scarlatti
98/100
-1 pts
7-10 weeks
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Trilles and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Fantasy and Fugue on the Chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam, S.624, R.314
Franz Liszt
98/100
-1 pts
7-10 weeks
new reflexes
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Polyphonie à trois voix ou plus and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Sonata in G major, K.449, L.444
Domenico Scarlatti
96/100
-3 pts
7-10 weeks
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Demi-pédale and Connaissance des formes — the pedal is set by ear, note by note: misjudged, it blurs the harmony instead of joining it.
See the whole progression
This G major sonata feels bright and sparkling, driven by detached, skipping figures and quick exchanges between voices that demand rhythmic clarity rather than slow expressiveness; it conveys a dance-like, virtuosic character. Technique: Ornements baroque (3.1/5) — you will need to execute trills and short embellishments with precise fingers and a restrained wrist motion so they integrate smoothly without weighing down the line; Lecture clé de fa (3.1/5) — the left hand contains leaps and accompanimental figures that must be read cleanly in bass clef to keep the bass steady while balancing inner voices. From the Baroque period, this piece is one of Scarlatti’s many keyboard sonatas and showcases his taste for contrast and idiomatic keyboard virtuosity.