I always hear about the ten levels of piano pedagogy, but obviously there are pieces that are more difficult than level 10 (Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Liszt come to mind). Are there actually levels for 10+, or do you just lump all of them into the "advanced" bucket?

I should probably know this . . .

By the time people advance to that "level," the very idea of "levels" becomes unnecessary. Who's to say Chopin's Ballade No. 3 is harder than the Liszt Transcendental Etude No. 10?

Precisely. Once you get to advanced, it's like a whole different set of "levels" many of which go horizontally as well as vertically. Which means it doesn't really matter, the only question becomes what does the student at that time need to learn, what skills do they lack, or are they ready to tackle?

Okay, that's about what I was thinking, since I'd never heard of, say, level 13. Thanks!

It might be helpful to add this to the discussion: the ten "levels" used in most systems seem to be designed for the student studying through high school level (regardless of their age). So level 10 becomes what a student might reach in their High School studies, or after 10 or 11 years of study. Yes, many students reach these levels in much less time.

I realize this is an international forum, so not everyone knows what I mean by "high school"... basically I mean before you study at college or university.

BTW the "levels" system I know are MTAC's CM system and the RCM