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 aria with three variations in D minor has a lyrical, contemplative character where the main melody unfolds in singing phrases, alternating accompanied passages and flowing ornamented figures. The main technical challenges are Voix chantante (3.9/5) and Legato (3.9/5): you will need to shape the melodic line like a singer by controlling tone and nuance, and secure very smooth connections through relaxed wrist motion and finger transitions that prevent breaks between adjacent notes. Situated in the Baroque repertoire, the piece exemplifies Buxtehude’s practice of writing variations on an aria and his emphasis on keyboard writing that highlights melodic breathing. I do not name a specific recording here out of caution unless I am certain of it.