I am new to this board and found it to be excellent, so I
thought I would throw in a quick lesson on country pick 
technique that I have learned since I joined a country band
3 years ago. Like most guitarists, I started playing rock 
and used a conventional pick technique, dabbling a bit in 
sweep picking, alternate picking, and folk fingerpicking.

When I joined a band, I quickly realized that electric tele
playing in country music requires a different pick technique
from conventional thumb/first finger picking. Telecaster 
players in country use a lot of string-popping, slapping
open string runs, arpeggios, chromatics, double stops and
bends to achieve that "twangy" "chicken-picken" sound/tone.

To perform these techniques effectively you need the use of 
more than one point of attack (just the pick). You need to 
be able to "grab" more than one string at a time. Some 
country players refer to this technique as "claw-hammer",
because your hand is clenched into a claw shape. It is very
similar to the technique used by banjo players when playing
rolling picking patterns. 

There are two alternative picking approaches that you can 
choose. Both are excellent and have benefits/tradeoffs. I
will try and describe both. To become a good country player
you must dedicate yourself to one of these picking styles.
It will take several months of getting used to. Try them 
both for a few days and see which one fits you better. Then
stick with it .. and practice till your fingers bleed. It 
will be well worth it when you amaze your friends and 
bandmates. The coolest thing about this style .. is that you
will sound unique when compared with all the other head-
bangers at the local guitar shop. 

The first Style is referred to as "hybrid picking".
In this style .. you hold your pick conventionally between
your thumb and first finger. The other fingers, #2, #3, #4
lay directly on the higher strings. One string per finger. 
You will use these f