I'm 51 and first time trying to learn. Having so much fun, could always sing, but never accomplish an instrument....very determined to do this. My wife bought me a Yamaha guitar for Christmas, took first lessons in January, making progress, but struggling with the pic. I can't seem to keep it in correct angle position, keeps slipping to one side or the other, have tried different pics with same result??? I seem to need to grip it so hard that it does not seem natural? I think I could catch on to the right hand thumb picing patterns? I can play some songs only when I am not using the pic but using my thumb...in order for me to keep having fun and feel like I am progressing, I would like to go the direction of learning to pic patterns with my fingers and keep practicing with the pic, but need to feel I am making progress...any suggestions would be much appreciated, any suggestions on where I would find how to learn the thumb picing patterns would be also appreciated! Last issue I am having...I cannot get all my fingers together to play A...any ideas how to correct this? A wider necked guitar?