MusicCoach difficulty
82/100
Master repertoire
Level of the complete work
We have no level specific to this movement. The figure above is that of the complete work: within a cycle, movements often differ widely in demand.
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Technique
Legato
1
Technique
Fast passages
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.
Gentle
Piano Sonata no. 4 in E flat major, op. 7
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Indépendance des mains — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Gentle
Sonata no. 5 in G flat major, op. 82, B.27
Isaac Albéniz
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Passages rapides — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Piano Sonata no. 2 in G sharp minor, op. 19
Alexander Scriabin
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Ornements romantiques and Connaissance des formes — ornaments must be secure before the piece goes up to tempo, otherwise they break the line instead of decorating it.
Balanced
Piano Sonata no. 31 in A flat major, op. 110
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Passages rapides — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Sonata no. 3 in B minor, op. 58
Frédéric Chopin
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Passages rapides — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Challenge
Piano Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor, op. 36
Sergei Rachmaninoff
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Passages rapides — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Same level
Same level
Intermezzo in E major Op.116 No.4
Johannes Brahms
new reflexes
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. The demand here is musical rather than mechanical: Phrasé — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.
Same level
Impromptu no. 2 in F sharp major, op. 36
Frédéric Chopin
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Voix chantante and Ornements romantiques — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.
Same level
Klavierstücke, op. 119
Johannes Brahms
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. The skill that will carry the work: Indépendance des mains — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
This Scherzo has a sardonic, nervy character, with sharp accents and off-beat gestures that create a restless forward drive rather than a singing lyricism. You will specifically face challenges in Harmonic analysis (3.6/5) — needing to spot rapid modulatory progressions and prepare resolutions through finger placement and contrast in touch — and in Tempo rubato (3.1/5), which asks you to shade phrases with small time adjustments without breaking the momentum, requiring precise wrist control and smooth hand transitions. The movement belongs to the Romantic period and is part of an early but ambitious piano sonata by Brahms that already displays his taste for contrapuntal density and reworked classical forms.