u/Happy_Ad476

Hello everyone,

I'm an international student, and this is my first semester here. It’s also my first time living abroad. As the semester break is getting closer, I’ve been thinking about getting a job.

The main reasons are that I need more financial stability, and I also want to gain some experience and practise my English speaking.

Since coming here, I’ve tried to make friends, but it hasn’t really gone well, so I rarely speak outside of asking small questions during lectures. My speaking is very rusty. (and it shows)

I also don’t have any previous work experience at all.

Taking my situation into account, what would be a good and easy job to start looking for?

I'm also a bit stressed about employers' expectations here. In my country, most jobs usually have a training period, which can range from around 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the job and the shifts.

Since I don’t have any previous work experience, I would prefer to start with a job that doesn’t expect me to know everything from the beginning. I’m looking for something supportive and not too overwhelming, so I can build my confidence first.

Any suggestions?

Hi,

I’m a beginner piano player and I’d really appreciate some guidance on how to improve.

<What kind of piano do I want to learn?>

I just want to play songs I love. It could be classical, modern, game music, anything. I don’t really have one specific style like “I want to focus on jazz” or “I only want classical.”

I liked Für Elise, so I practiced the first section and got pretty comfortable with it. I also liked some video game music, so I practiced a few simpler pieces and managed to play them (not perfectly, but still). So usually what motivates me is whatever song I want to learn next, rather than sticking to one genre.

<My background>

I took an online piano course for 6 months, but there were constant teacher changes and issues with the academy. Toward the end, I was basically teaching myself most of the material anyway.

They told me I had to put stickers on my keyboard (even though I didn’t want to), so because of that I’m still struggling a bit to adjust to playing on an acoustic piano without those stickers.

They mainly focused on: scales - chords (major, minor, diminished)

basic note reading (not in much depth)

simple songs like Twinkle Twinkle, Ode to Joy, Jingle Bells, Little Playmates.

and eventually the first page of Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement as my graduation piece for the 6 months course.

Honestly... I don’t feel like I got that much value from it, especially for how much I paid. Right now I can’t afford private lessons or another course, so I’m trying to teach myself until I have a stable income.

<My current level>

I struggled with Moonlight Sonata at first, but now I can play the first page at around 90% accuracy. (Dec 2025)

https://reddit.com/link/1t1hjwu/video/t1mm24vyynyg1/player

One issue I noticed is that my hands are small, so some stretches feel uncomfortable, especially parts where I need to simultaneously press notes like A+B and then B+C. Because of that, I stopped progressing further into the harder sections for now.

For Für Elise, I can play the opening section very well (albeit slower and not perfect), but once it reaches the section where the melody changes, I completely struggle. (Apr 2026)

https://reddit.com/link/1t1hjwu/video/8absztbvznyg1/player

I also learned this video game piece, but it took me around 2–3 months of intense practice, and I still play it slowly.

I think it was over my level but I kind of managed to do it. (Dec 2025)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRL3nK95ZGg&list=RDaRL3nK95ZGg&start_radio=1

https://reddit.com/link/1t1hjwu/video/7zsnri91znyg1/player

I stopped playing it for about 3 months, and when I tried again recently it honestly felt like I was learning it all over again. I could barely play the first section with a rough flow :(

It made me feel sad, because I don’t know if it’s normal to lose that much progress after only three months without practicing a piece.

<Something new recently>

This is actually the first time I’ve had access to a real acoustic piano (I was practicing on a keyboard), so I’m also adjusting to that.

I recently started trying to learn how to use the pedal, but honestly it feels like it’s making everything more confusing. I’m not sure how to practice it without ruining my playing.

It feels like I’m trying to play with three hands instead of two 😅

But I’ve heard it’s better to get used to using the pedal early rather than avoiding it, so I’m trying. Should I keep trying to use it or stop for now?

<My biggest struggles>

I usually play every piece slower/faster than the original tempo.

If I speed up/slowed down, I make mistakes or hit wrong keys.

Recording a full clean performance with zero mistakes is extremely hard (Like one take out of 15 could be a clean one).

Usually I can play pieces at around 80–90% clean, but with 2–3 mistakes. Rarely perfect.

Is that normal for someone at my level?

<Hanon?>

I’ve heard Hanon exercises are great. During my course they only had me do the first exercise very slowly.

Would you recommend continuing Hanon as a self-taught beginner?

<What should I focus on now?>

I’m not sure what to prioritize if I want to finally get past the sections where I’m stuck in Für Elise and Moonlight Sonata.

I tried finger stretching exercises, but if I stop playing for a few days and come back, my fingers feel uncomfortable reaching wide intervals again.

I’d also love to improve my comfort with these:

1. Jumping between keys

2. Better hand coordination

3. Smoother movement overall

Any piece recommendations?

I’d really appreciate recommendations for beginner-friendly pieces that improve technique without being so hard that I get stuck for months.

For example, Little Playmates helped me improve a lot because it got me used to playing chords in the left hand + melody in the right

then switching chords to the right hand + melody in the left, I still play it sometimes as a warm-up.

So I’d love pieces/exercises like that which naturally builds coordination, jumps rhythm and independence between hands.

Any advice is welcome, thank you so much.