Dillydallying Rhythms is a contemporary work that plays with shifting pulse and gentle cross-rhythms. It provides an introspective, modern soundscape.
At Henle 3 this is a late-beginner piece — comfortable hands-together playing is assumed, and musical shaping starts to matter. The main demands: polyrhythms that have to lock together without sounding mechanical; a left hand with real melodic or rhythmic responsibility of its own; and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
The difficulty lies in managing the flexible pulse and maintaining subtle coordination between the hands.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
A level or two down with the same spirit — ideal if this piece is still out of reach.
Where this piece's skills lead: slightly harder works making similar technical demands.
Lesser-known works by the same hand, at a comparable level.
Dillydallying Rhythms is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 4.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of Dillydallying Rhythms lasts about 3 minutes.
Dillydallying Rhythms is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Blue Mood! by Cameron Lee Simpson, Cutting Corners by Cameron Lee Simpson, Creekside Rag by Cameron Lee Simpson — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.