Re: Now that I have actually tried playing one.. a few questions
Lots of good advice here. My advice is to follow all of it. OK, not exactly, but do pay attention, and take from it what works for you.
Just two bits of hopefully helpful advice, observations really, gleaned from personal experience. I'm mostly self-taught, so take with a few grains of salt.
Right hand - I tend to keep the pick vertical to the strings. And I often "rest" my wrist - not hand, though perhaps the heel - on the bridge. This places the pick just below the soundhole - the sweet spot to my ears - and diminishes exhaustion. I don't mean plant the wrist there, but let it rest lightly.
Left hand - It doesn't matter how far your fingers contact the fretboard below the fret, as long as they don't go above the fret. You needn't worry about trying to fit your fingertips between the frets. It's about impossible for most people, anyway. Try trimming your fingernails at a point where they can contact the strings along with or even ahead of the flesh. That may help them fit better, and even exert more pressure (per square inch/cm) on the strings, for a cleaner strike.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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