Your idea to cut picks manually is a great one - a few years ago I was able to pick up(!) a hand-operated plectrum punch that I use to give my old credit cards a second life. If you get bored of cutting by hand then one of these may be of interest to you!
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Hi Justin. Brilliant videos regarding the module. My main problem holding the pick is that my index finger keeps touching the strings when I strum. Can you help me?
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Looks about right
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Hello @NiallM1974 and welcome to the community.
In my view, there is too much of the tip sticking out beyond your thumb and finger. You want it to be stubby, not elongated.
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I suggest you try curling your index finger more. As I look at my hand holding a pick, the top of my index finger is parallel to my thumb and pointing in the opposite direction.
I don’t have a pick with me, but I cut up a business card and took a picture to help illustrate what I mean:
Hope this helps,
Ed
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How about the position of my index finger?
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I’m frequently frustrated by the pick slipping around between my thumb and finger. Does anyone else experience this? I suppose it could be caused by dry skin - If I lick my thumb and finger the pick stays put for a while. I’ve tried holding the pick tighter, but that causes my had to feel tense, and doesn’t really seem to solve the issue anyway. I do use hand cream in general, but wash my hands before playing (I read somewhere - maybe around here? - that this is a good practice, and it certainly seems reasonable!). I’ve also tried grippy picks like a Dunlop Max Grip, and while that’s a bit better it doesn’t really solve the issue either (and makes my finger feel weirdly itchy).
Any suggestions? Thanks!
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Following up on this: I started Justin’s strumming SOS this week. So much good information both in the lessons and in the community discussions. I’m already seeing improvement!
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Hi Ed, Thanks for your picture! I thought I was curling the index finger too much but maybe it’s ok then. Actually, does the way I’m holding the pick look right to you, and whoever’s reading this? (In the first pic I just turned the wrist to let you see how it looks like from the bottom. Also I know I can’t cross my legs while playing, it’s just for the picture, I usually use a foot rest otherwise or move the right heal up).
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My main issue with this position is that when I try to play something really fast, I have to hold it tightly not to have it rotate or move (like in this last picture, where it moved so much it was almost slipping). However, if I hold it too tight, then I play horrible up strums (in the sense that the pick would get stuck, or force my hand out of the “parallel to the guitar” position, or I’d just miss the up strum). Any suggestions? Hope the the way I explained my issue makes sense…
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I still have the “rotating pick” issue myself, but while it used to happen all the time, now it only happens when I strum hard on my acoustic. One thing that has helped me, in addition to the “grippy” picks you are using (I use these too), is to have more pick between the fingers and less pick sticking out. I started with the same pick grip that you have, but over time, I slid the pick deeper into the space between my fingers. Now, the top of my pick is practically even with the edge of my thumb and less sticks out to strum with. This seems to reduce the force that’s trying to rip the pick out of my grip.
Holding the pick so it is hitting the strings at an angle instead of flat helps as well.
In the end, everyone’s anatomy is different, and you’ll have to experiment with lots of different grips until you find the one that works for you. I find myself using a different pick grip when I strum vs. playing single notes vs. picking strings that need to continue to ring out, sometimes using my pinky as an anchor, sometimes not, all fingers curled under vs. fingers extended, etc.
And remember, rock-star players lose picks all the time, that’s why they always have a bunch of spares stuck to their mic stands, in their pockets, etc. 
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A tip for trying to cure rotating pick issues, is work out what you’re doing that causes it to spin.
You’ll probably find it always spins in one direction, so pause mid strum and look at the angle the pick is hitting the strings.
Now try and reverse that angle, and see if the pick spins the opposite direction.
Once you can get it to spin the opposite direction, work on finding the neutral position so it doesn’t spin, and then if you do notice it spinning, adjust the angle so it spins back in to position.
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For some reference, here’s how I hold a pick for strumming-
If I’m picking strings, I’ll hold it similarly, but just with less pick exposed.
If switching I’ll subtly let it float in/out as required. And if strumming slowly, I’ll even sit and spin it between my fingers as I am quite a bad fidget 
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WRT to pick spinning around…
Justin’s funk course has an exercise buried in one of the lessons that helped me quite a bit, even though I have no interest in playing funk.
Basically, you deliberately let the pick rotate a full 360 degrees, in either direction. Once you learn to control this, you seem to learn how to prevent it from happening, and also get it back in position if it moves.
The exercise is around the 6 minute mark.
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Between 5 and 6 years into learning guitar with JG and I’m wondering if I’ve been holding plectrums the wrong way all this time. I think I always follow the way Justin describes holding them between thumb and forefinger but someone I met the other day pointed out that my remaining fingers should be curled into my palm. I’ve never considered the other fingers before and now I do I see I keep them straight when strumming. I guess I always have. Returning to JG’s video he doesn’t mention the other fingers but I see he curls his into the palm as I was told I should the other day. Are there any pros and cons to this or is this just a distraction? I should say when I do curl my fingers into the palm it doesn’t feel natural and I will have to learn strumming all over again, almost from square 1.
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@Willsie - I also have my other fingers out in the air and never given it a second thought.
I have gone over several videos now and see both. Seem to be nothing right and wrong in this sense. - Maybe it’s just a person who is jealous of you and just want to correct you for no good reason 
There are benefits to have the fingers out if you alternate between strumming and picking single strings.
If a person tells you, that you are wrong not having them curled up, then please let that person tell Paul Davids and Troy Grady and many others, that they are doing it the wrong way
Think you should just do it the way you find best
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Its funny that you are asking this question as I’ve also been wondering if I’m doing it wrong … I mostly have my fingers curled under. Mostly I find that this gives me better control of the pick and I can easily keep it from spinning around or otherwise getting into odd positions. What led me to question if curling was wrong is doing individual string picking exercises such as Picked Fingerstyle | JustinGuitar.com where the pinky is anchored.
I’ll be watching for responses to your query and I hope the right answer is “it depends”
Cheers
Glen
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hi John,
Justin says you should always ask “why?”. Did you do that?
What I have noticed is that the folks that need to speed-pick like to curl up fingers, even the one holding the pick. Check out Bernth’s Youtube commentary on it here, and here. Part of it seems to be that you can go faster with less moment arm of fingers flapping around, and you tend to not scrape strings which makes unwanted noise.
I tend to have fingers partially curled up. I like to be able to extend my little finger down as an anchor. If I grip like Bernth suggests, I cannot strum very well at all - too stiff. So my approach so far is a balance for what I am doing.
Just pick the best approach for you…
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I agree, but like to be open to alternatives, especially if they turn out to be an improvement.
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I tend to use the little finger as an anchor when needed.
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