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Hi,
I am also not very experienced with the Pico, so we are pretty much in the same boat. After some experiments with other layouts I actually started to like the default layout. (I use the left hand above the right hand but perhaps that's just a personal preference).
One thing that imho helps a lot in order to get to grips with the standard layout is to imagine that the lower 2x4 keys are not below but to the left of the upper 2x4 keys, essentially forming a 4x4 field. (E.g. have a look at a picture of the Tau and imagine you only have the uppermost 4x4 keys available - that's essentially the logics behind the Pico standard layout). Then take an accord and try to comprehend what happens when you shift it chromatically upwards. Then e.g. try to play a simple cadence sequence with the inversions (ceg-cfa-Hdg-ceg/egc'-fac'-dgh-egc' etc.) This helped me a lot to get the concept of the standard layout into the brain and the fingers.
One thing that is worth a try is to change the transposition interval of the transpose keys from the standard octave setting to a minor 6th setting. Imho this is much more logical as it simply moves the 4x2 block from one hand to the other and adds a new lower/higher tuned 4x2 block under the hand that previously owned the moving block. Perhaps that sounds confusing, just try it, then you'll see it yourself.

Good luck!

Greetings,
NothanUmber

Hi jsans, one of the things that I love from the eigenharp concept (being one of the early adopters) is that everything is so new that "a correct placement for the fingers" is not an issue.
Depending on what I'm playing I tend to put my left hand up, but also since experimentation on different key layouts is possible, I end up with strange and really cool ways of playing intervals.
Being a guitar player for 20 years, I have developed a sort of preference for my left hand, I believe that whatever makes you comfortable would be the correct answer to your question.
Some people in the forum would answer this question saying that it would be good to stick to one fingering (and use the almost miraculous benefits of the eigenharp) but there at the end of the day is up to you.
I'´ve commenced to use my Pico live and sometimes because of my meed to trigger a sampler or something like that I even play with just one hand ( in that case and don't ask me why, I ended up playing with my right hand).

cheers.

Carlos

Hi Jsans,

As long as you play scales with 7 distinct notes, the fingerings stay the same, as do the chords. Yes, changing scales and tonics then automatically puts the right accidentals on the notes.

It when you use scales with less notes that your fingerings change ... but you can really leave that for later since with major, harmonic & melodic minor and all the tonics, you can get a long way.

I can't really help you with tuition material about music theory, I learned it in music academy when I was a kid.

Take care,

Geert