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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The safest next step.
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
A useful leap with guided practice.
This Two-voice Fugue in C minor has a taut, austere contrapuntal character, with concentrated rhythmic focus that produces a dark tension rather than showy virtuosity. You will be particularly challenged by Polyphony for three voices or more (4.4/5): you must isolate and balance independent lines with secure finger control and targeted releases so the middle voice does not disappear beneath the hands; Harmonic analysis (4.4/5) is also required to anticipate modulations and shape cadences, which means identifying and preparing harmonic functions before executing entries. The piece belongs to the Romantic period and sits among Grieg's piano works where contrapuntal technique meets the harmonic colors of Romanticism.