Resources to help you pick piano repertoire at the right level for you — not too easy and not too challenging — to help you grow efficiently as a pianist and have fun along the way.
Picking and Organizing Your Piano Repertoire
The Selection: How to Pick Piano Repertoire to Increase Momentum and Avoid Frustration. This post covers the basics of picking the right amount of repertoire to learn at once and at the right level. It shows you how to determine what level pianist you are and how to find repertoire (both public domain and pop) for your level.
The Practice Joy Music Practice Journal. This free pdf guide will help you set repertoire goals and organize your practice sessions in a way that inspires joy. Crafting positive experiences in our practice sessions makes us want to practice even more.
In addition to traditional journal pages and the “practice joy” pages, you also get a guide to practicing joy, inspired from the post 7 Steps to Practice Joy While Practicing an Instrument.
Finding Piano Repertoire for Specific Levels
IMSLP’s Piano Pieces by Level Page. You probably already know that IMSLP boasts the largest, free, public domain sheet music library, but they also have this handy list of piano repertoire sorted into 11 different levels. There’s a search function and an easy drop down, so you can find a lot of free, historical music to sightread or perform. I encourage you to find some non-white, non-male composers!
Henle’s Levels of Difficulty. If you’re trying to decide if a piece is above your level, search for it on Henle’s website. They use a number system to rank pieces by difficulty. Many times they also note what ABRSM and RCM grades they are as well, so this is an excellent resource to help you pick repertoire.
Sheet Music Plus’s Levels of Difficulty. Sheet Music Plus is home to sheet music for any style and any instrument. Composers and arrangers have the option of publishing their works on the platform, which gives you access to a wider variety of sheet music than most other websites. Additionally, they rate their music by difficulty, so you can browse for your favorite tunes, knowing you’ll find something you’ll be able to play!