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 Ballade feels dramatic and singing: it alternates sustained melodic lines with impulsive passages, producing an inward tension that reads more like a short narrative than outward display. Technically, you will need to focus on Legato (4.1/5) — here the gesture requires a smooth connection of phrases with steady arm weight to link notes without unwanted accents — and possibly Octaves (3.9/5), which call for precise hand relaxation and even attack to preserve the line when intervals widen. The piece belongs to Burgmüller’s salon and pedagogical repertoire, intended to develop singing and character in the student while remaining approachable. I do not list a reference interpretation because I am not fully certain of a single widely recognized recording for this specific piece.