Unfortunately, there is no 'one size, fits all' answer where beginners are concerned.  IIRC, the default lights are 4 types of lights, Spotlight, Infinity Light, Point Light, and Area Light, and they're distributed around the scene stage.  Not that any truly reads the manual, but a section of it should be dedicated to complex lighting and how to work with it.  A thoroughly detailed video tutorial should get beginners curious enough to experiment with this all-important feature.  My suggestion to users, observe the actual world around them; look out the window to see how the environmental light changes with time and weather, and observe the interior world such as malls, offices, homes, etc for light placement and colors.  Pay particular attention to how movies are lit; we are bombarded with videos and television, and it is hard to ignore.  

And use lighting creatively.   In Superfly, become familiar with the Wavelength and Blackbody nodes, wonder features that truly enhance how scenes can be lit.