Newbie player - Help with Big Band

Hello.

Been waiting for Skullgirls on PC - as a don’t have a console - since early 2013 but bought it on Steam just yesterday. So i ran through the tutorial and started to play as Big Band. I managed to learn the majority of specials and a few simple combos but that’s it. I have played a dozen of online matches and for the most part i was getting owned.

So, as a complete newbie i would like to ask a few questions about how to play well with Big Band:

  1. Defense.
    First problem i encountered was the pressure from the opponent: most of those who i fought against started to pressure me right away and didn’t really give me any chance to counterattack. There were sutiations where a saw and used the opening to break out but for the most part things were ending up pretty dire for me. So, my questions:
    How do i keep my opponent at bay with Big Band?
    What is the best anti air move?
    What is the best ground defense move?

  2. Offense.
    Second problem i faced was my inability to actually approach the enemy and start a combo. As i said i learned a couple of simple combos starting with either LP or LK but i only managed to perform them on blocking, when the opponent was right in my face. My questions here:
    How do i safely approach my enemy, especially keepaway characters like Peacock?
    What are the best moves to start a combo?
    What most basic and simple combos involving special moves should i learn as a newbie player? *Do consider that i play with keyboard and i would like to start with simple 10-20 hit chains. *

Thank you in advance.

Wow, I forgot about SRK Skullgirls subforum. Go here instead. http://skullgirls.com/forums/index.php?forums/big-band.19/