An Unexpected Christmas Box!

The best way to describe how to hold a pick is with a photo video or drawing but let me try to explain, (assuming your right handed) your four fingers point down at the strings and your thumb lays across the first finger at a 45 degree angle in between is the pick you dont grip it tight just tight enough to hold on to it and as you strum the strings you will feel you have to grip it a little tighter but not much to hold on,it takes a little practice but its not that hard to learn and dont worry about singing in front of a church audience im sure they will make you feel right at home and enjoy your performance just believe in the words your singing and let the spirit take over,you'll be fine  

Howdy HC,

  Been there bud!  Also a fingerpicker, but Russell's advice is sound.  I use a pick so rarely that I have to retrain every time I pick up my electric.  I used to have to glue a half dozen spares to the pickguard with double base tape so I could snag another when the one I was using "launched".

  Have fun doing the Church gig.... remember if you goof it the worst thing that can happen is excommunication, and they only do that for really serious things.

Take Care and Happy Christmas;
Doug

There's nothing beats practice, Headcase, but . . .

There are many different ways of holding the pick, some hold it tight like a fist and some hold it loose like butterfly. Either can work, depending how you want your guitar to sound. You can also hold it long or short (short meaning that there is only a short bit of the point showing). Most flatpickers would hold it long, allowing the pick to move when you hit the string.

You can start with a light pick - it will let you strum with less chance of catching a string.

However, you will eventually move to a heavier pick if you get into flatpicking, as you have more control of your sound.

Also you can try different ways of hitting the strings. Firstly, you can hold the pick so that it hits the strings straight up at 90 degrees to the string. It can be easier, however, to hold it at an angle ( say 45 degrees ) to the strings as you play. The pick glides more easily over the strings.

Also, if you twist the pick so that you hit the string more on its edge than on the flat will also make a difference.

But it will sound worse than your thumb for a while, you have to keep at it !

You can try using a thumbpick or some other form of finger mounted pick. They usually stay put when you have it on right. Good luck with the church performance. Your grandkids will like it either way.