LindaBer-

Hallo...I was just in your beautiful country. One thing that REALLY helped me to learn how to strum was to use super thin picks such as "Dunlop 44P.38 Nylon Standard .38mm White Guitar Picks" You can buy a 12-pack for 3 Euros. These paper thin picks keep the pick from digging into the strings and are a great way to learn strumming. While you may not want to use the super thin picks forever, they are invaluable in intially learning strummimg. I had the exact same challenges as you. Give it a try and good luck! Vaarwel

PS: Anyone interested in learning more about the Netherlands and the amazing city of Amsterdam should read Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City ...great read!