Repertoire › Schüler polka › What to play next
What to play after Schüler polka ?
Jacques Offenbach · difficulty 25/100

Choose your level of commitment: consolidate, move up a tier or prepare a challenge. The top-ranked cards combine difficulty, risk, shared skills and confidence.

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Gentle step

The safest next step.

Gentle
Polka du mendiant
Jacques Offenbach
30/100 +5 pts 3-6 weeks
close skills low risk fair confidence
A short step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 3 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Gentle
Polka burleske
Jacques Offenbach
30/100 +5 pts 3-6 weeks
close skills low risk fair confidence
A short step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 3 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Gentle
Children's Polka in B flat major, G.vi257, "Detskaya Polka"
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
30/100 +5 pts 3-6 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
A short step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 3 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Gentle
Polka, B.3
Antonín Dvořák
30/100 +5 pts 3-6 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
A short step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 3 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Staccato — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Gentle
Polka in D minor, G.vi250
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
30/100 +5 pts 3-6 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
A short step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 3 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Staccato — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Balanced step

A genuine step up, without a jolt.

Balanced
Les roses des Bengale, 6 waltzes
Jacques Offenbach
35/100 +10 pts 6-12 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
A real step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Balanced
Les trois Graces, waltzes
Jacques Offenbach
35/100 +10 pts 6-12 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
A real step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Balanced
Porte-enseigne Polka
Modest Mussorgsky
35/100 +10 pts 6-12 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
A real step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Balanced
3 Polkas poetiques, op. 8
Bedrich Smetana
35/100 +10 pts 6-12 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
A real step up, staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Ambitious challenge

A useful leap with guided practice.

Challenge
Les Contes de la Reine de Navarre, grand waltz
Jacques Offenbach
40/100 +15 pts 16-32 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
An ambitious leap while staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Rythme général — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Challenge
Polka in F sharp minor
Mily Balakirev
40/100 +15 pts 16-32 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
An ambitious leap while staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. 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.
Challenge
Polka in A flat major, TN ii/18
Sergei Rachmaninoff
40/100 +15 pts 16-32 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
An ambitious leap while staying in Elementary (around grade 4 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. 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

To widen the repertoire without raising the level.

Same level
Les Boules de neige, landler
Jacques Offenbach
25/100 same level 1-2 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 3 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
Ländler, WoO 11
Ludwig van Beethoven
24/100 -1 pts 1-2 weeks
partial transfer low risk to confirm
Equivalent demands, right at the edge of Beginner (around grade 2 ABRSM/RCM): different ground, same level. What changes is the skill in play: Style classique — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
8 Ländler in B flat major, D.378
Franz Schubert
28/100 +3 pts 1-2 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 3 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.
Progressions computed from difficulty, skill overlap and style between works. A What do we play next? recommendation should remain a pedagogical starting point, not an automatic prescription.