How To Play The Carter Scratch (Featuring Courtney Marie Andrews) 

An historian, a teacher, a guitarist and vocalist all in one delightful lady. Thank you , from an old musician who just learned something new.

Leslie Riddle, a black man who worked with AP Carter "catching songs," and also lived with the Carters for a couple of years, taught Maybelle Carter this style of guitar. The Riddlefest in Burnsville, NC, honors him in a wonderful way: members of the Riddle family AND the Carter family come together to make music and honor Leslie Riddle's legacy.

Very nice tutorial on the Carter Scratch. I’ve played guitar for 50 years but never knew the proper terminology of what I was playing. It’s always wonderful to know the history of things like this so we can continue to pass it down to our children. You have a wonderful voice too. Thank you for your presentation.

I was a rythym player in a pop band in 1963, when i met a bloke who introduced me to the Carters style of playing. Forever indebted to this person….play this stuff everyday. Great lesson that makes it easy for a player to achieve. Other players are so impressed to hear the melody and rhythm both together. So many tutorials can be overwhelming,but yours C.A.M.was perfect.

I didn't know that this was a recognised style of picking till today I feel so validated in my own guitar playing style I don't use a pick but I thought I was playing wrong lol thanks

Maybelle’s L5 is the most important guitar in country music history, with all due respect to Chet, Merle, Jerry, Doc, Paul and Don et al.

I started playing guitar in late 60s and learned this style, or a variation of it, from Neil Young's song "Tell Me Why." Took a few years to learn that Maybelle originated it. Great video.

Great tutorial. I am currently teaching the Carter scratch, but not calling it as such. Maybelle was a master at it. I am self taught so I studied the sound and replicated it. I would have loved this kind of tutorial. I will forward this one to my students who are laboriously trying to learn it from self taught me. Thanks. 83 year old ballad singer in Oakland CA

Love the video! Definitely want more of this. With drummers, bassists, vocalists etc... Keep it up NPR.

That is amazing that she is the innovator "of that." That is classic folk/country-style strumming, and she was the one who was responsible for its popularity. Wonderful.

I have been playing this style of music nearly 50 years and still learnt a lot from this. Thanks Courtney, your approach and enthusiasm is positively life enhancing.

I saw CMA from maybe 5 feet away at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this year! I was mesmerized by her voice and couldn't stop watching her fingers. Thanks for the lesson!

Thank you for this. The Carter Family deserves SO much more recognition and credit!!!!

Thank you, Courtney Marie Andrews. Yes, I have learned something watching and listening to you play.

I was born and raised in Nashville, am 65 years young however I've mostly always played old rock. Just recently started digging into my heritage, my great grand father play fiddle and harmonica on the very first Grand Ole' Opry aired on WSM radio. I did not know that about Mother Maybelle. I'm no kin to the Carters or the Cashes, my g.grandfather last name was Wright. Also my I say this with all respect, you are cuter than a speckled puppy under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning and where I from ma'am that is a compliment. Keep a pickin and grinnin from Nashville, Tn. God bless all

Awesome! I was taught by a lady across the road who called it "pluck strum" - beautiful voice she had.

This is awesome! I had no idea that Mother Maybelle revolutionized guitar playing in this way. Thank you for breaking down what I always thought of as just country picking!

The very important part that rarely anybody mentioned is that she played the Carter scratch from the C major chord shape exclusively and used a capo to move it up the neck. If she played in other keys she did not do the scratch and always modulated into C when she did. So the authentic Carter scratch is played in C shape only.

Very well presented video on the Crater scratch. I grew up in Australia and as a 10-year-old spent hours with a wind-up gramophone playing some of the old Carter 78 songs. I just love their music. It's kind of timeless and very spiritual music.

Courtney....I love seeing and listening to you sing and play the guitar!

Nice job Courtney! The Carters started a beautiful, deep line of music. Hearing you play, it seems to be in good hands.

i too learned to play like this but did not know the history behind it. Thank you Miss Courtney for breaking it down

wow the magic happens when you add the melody played with the bass notes, great job!

That was awesome. I watched the history of country music and this fits in very nicely. Thanks

You are adorable! I am sure Mama Carter would be honored with your tribute. God bless you, well done, very informative. I enjoyed learning from this video. Thank you!

Thanks for the lesson... got to go down and experience some of the Carter Family magic and see a lot of their history this past spring. It was a great experience.

This is fantastic learning a bit of history while enjoying her music.

Well done! I'm a BIG fan of Maybelle. Love the history lesson.

Beautiful and informative video. More please. Love learning the origins!

Nicely done Courtney. Nice to see and hear you spread some knowledge on the guitar and it's artists!

Thank you for beautiful music and lesson !!!

You're an excellent teacher - thank you!

Beautifully explained and demonstrated. Thank you!

Thanks. This video is great. I've been trying to figure out the Carter scratch. This gives a lot of insight into not just how to play but how it works, and what Maybelle Carter was trying to do in her style.

Thank you Courtney and nice gouce to go along with it all, plz do more.

Really digging Courtney’s new record.

Well done! Good explanation of one of the greatest guitarists in history and executed very well!

Great History lesson and demonstration as well! Thank You!

Courtney that was wonderful, so inspiring. Thank you for demonstrating that unforgettable finger style. Can you suggest any other Tutorials or TAB exercises especially illustrating your finger pick technique. You also have a superb voice, what a great gift of life.

Nice to see another Andrews!!

I like this style. It’s clean and melodic.

Hope you guys do more of these kinds of videos. Thanks.

I can't believe people would actually vote this down. Nice job Courtney.

Wow! Very beautiful! Great Job Lil Angel!

From the inside out, you are a beautiful human being. Thank you!

You are a very talented musician in your own right! Keep up the great work!& keep on the sunny side of life!

Yay NPR Music, I love the lesson format and Courtney was fabulous! Now I’d love to see is a lesson from someone who plays in the blues style that influenced Maybelle.

I like to think I know something about music, but in my ignorance I have thought my whole life that it was AP Carter playing the guitar like that. Thanks for setting me straight.

Nice. And that's a GORGEOUS sounding D-18.

I just love your style to pieces!😀😀great job!

That was interesting Courtney and thank you. I am learning guitar and I really love fingerstyle,so this intro to the Carter family style is great. Thanks again look forward to more . 🇬🇧

Excellent! Glad I came across this video. Great work!!

Awesome story! I don't play music, but I do enjoy listening to music, of basically every genre.

I’d love to see more like this. Very inspiring!

this is wonderful! I have been looking for an accessible intro to this style of playing and this was so useful

Excellent video. I love playing Carter style.

I could listen to her all day and night

Finally, a clear explanation! Beautiful lady and voice.

The art direction on this interview setup is perfect. Good work NPR Music!

I’ve always played like this. It came naturally why I don’t know. You did a amazing job here

The sound of that guitar😍

Wow! Love this. I love CMA's music and just stumbled upon this, looking for some tips as to how to play Mother Maybelle style. Was so pleased to find CMA with this short video. Thanks!

200213. Yep, a lovely sound to your guitar. Thanks for loading this vid - although I'm not sure how I ended up here I did enjoy listening and learning. Have a GREAT day.

Thanks Courtney your amazing I’m still practicing hard with my guitar 🎸

Thank you Courtney. That was great.

Love it, great job!

Love it!!! Love the songs

*Very instructive ,Thank you* 👍👍👍👍👍

Nice voice and I like the info on the Carter "scratch". Thanks for the video.

This is like watching a magic act revealed...in a good way🙆‍♀️

Simply Awesome!!!

Some great information about artistic evolution here

That was stunning. Learned a lot. Thanks for sharing.

Wow! Your very good! Nice playing and a beautiful voice. Thanks for sharing!

It is nice meeting people like you passionate for the instrument and sharing with us all this knowledge and history.. very educational for me I really enjoyed it and I learned something new! Nice performance, congratulations

Who knew instruction could be so personable!! Mother Maybelle would be proud! You keep the sound alive...thanks so much. (Your love of the music is evident in your voice and expression.)

Cheers. Good lesson.

the camera and strings look so great at 2:02 , its just like waves flowing

Great video I learned a lot thank you

Great video. Thank you Courtney

Very nice. Thanks for posting. Love your style. Sounds good.

That was wonderful!

this is so amazingly well explained!

You are lovely, and you sing like an Angel. Blessings !!!

Good lesson! Thank you :-)

Nice job! Loves me some Martin guitar!

Thanks for showing. And, you have a beautiful voice.

Thankyou - lovely playing/singing

Merçi Courtney. Grace à vous j'ai découvert Maybelle, et j'ai appris un style et une façon de jouer de la guitare. Et en plus vous chantez très bien ! Vous êtes formidable !

Nice! That's on style I can't do.....so I enjoy listening to it.

Very nice and full of great information - Thanks

Love it. Thanks.

Wonderful!

Most informative and interesting!👍✌️😊🙏🏼

Beautiful woman. Beautiful playing. Superb explanations and demonstrations - what's not to like? Great to see such passion, expertise and musicianship. 10/10

Maybelle IS country music and bluegrass music, and the singular core influence of rock. As Courtney observantly summed up, she was the architect of the guitar playing melody, rhythm and bass (accompanied by singing). Ever wonder why modern popular musical acts aren't accompanied by the flute or kazoo or whatever other instrument?

Good stuff. Nice voice, nice playing. Thanks.

Nice Lesson nice memories too, thanks

Thank you for sharing

Loved this video