MusicCoach difficulty
50/100
Intermediate
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
Knowledge of forms
1
Style
Classical style
1
Rhythm
Polyrhythm 2 against 3
1
Style
Modern and contemporary style
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
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
Sonatina in E-flat major Op.168 No.2
Anton Diabelli
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Style classique and Connaissance des formes — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Gentle
Sonatina for piano no. 4
Camargo Guarnieri
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Style classique and Connaissance des formes — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Sonatina für Radio, W.58
George Antheil
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Demi-pédale and Style classique — the pedal is set by ear, note by note: misjudged, it blurs the harmony instead of joining it.
Balanced
Sonatina for piano no. 4
Francisco Mignone
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Intermediate (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Style classique and Connaissance des formes — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Sonatina for Piano
Carlos Chávez
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Style classique and Connaissance des formes — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Challenge
2 Sonatinas, op. 54
Sergei Prokofiev
partial transfer
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Style moderne et contemporain — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Same level
Invention No.4 in D minor BWV 775
Johann Sebastian Bach
new reflexes
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Polyphonie à deux voix and Style baroque — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Invention No.6 in E major BWV 777
Johann Sebastian Bach
new reflexes
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Style baroque and Polyphonie à deux voix — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Scherzo from Sonatina in F major
Ludwig van Beethoven
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 3 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Staccato and Style classique — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
The IV. Lento feels like a slow, contemplative movement where a simple, songlike melody sits against measured accents and breaths, requiring restraint to keep the tempo's sense of repose. Technically, you will need to use Connaissance des formes (3.8/5) to shape phrases and handle thematic returns — which means planning subtleties of timing and prolongation across sections — and Polyrhythmie 2 contre 3 (3.1/5), which calls for holding a steady pulse in one hand while precisely fitting the crossed rhythm of the other. Placed in the modern, pedagogical part of Chávez's output, this sonatina movement belongs to his smaller-scale works intended for developing pianists rather than large-scale concert pieces.