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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You're an excellent teacher - thank you!

Beautifully explained and demonstrated. Thank you!

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

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.

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!

Thank you for beautiful music and lesson !!!

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.

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

Great History lesson and demonstration as well! Thank You!

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

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 video. I love playing Carter style.

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

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!

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

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

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

Wow! Very beautiful! Great Job Lil Angel!

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Nice to see another Andrews!!

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

Finally, a clear explanation! Beautiful lady and voice.

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

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

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.)

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

Simply Awesome!!!

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

Love it, great job!

Some great information about artistic evolution here

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

I could listen to her all day and night

Nice job! Loves me some Martin guitar!

GREAT job playing the guitar 🎸 👍 Got a great voice too Keep it UP girl We enjoyed the video 😊

Great video. Thank you Courtney

*Very instructive ,Thank you* 👍👍👍👍👍

Thank you Courtney. That was great.

this is so amazingly well explained!

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 !

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.

That was wonderful!

Good stuff. Nice voice, nice playing. Thanks.

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

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

Really digging Courtney’s new record.

Thankyou - lovely playing/singing

I like this style of video. I hope to see this about all genre.

Very nice and full of great information - Thanks

Great video I learned a lot thank you

Love it!!! Love the songs

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.

Great video clear and concise and you have a lovely manner about you

Cheers. Good lesson.

Most informative and interesting!👍✌️😊🙏🏼

Thanks. I’m learning I’m planning to buy those pick.

Loved this video

The sound of that guitar😍

Love it. Thanks.

Thank you for the best lesson I was ever given on this beautiful technique, including both flatpick and finger pick. Years ago I took fingerpicking ragtime guitar on, and became tolerably proficient, even at playing fairly complex tunes. However, I could never fully master this technique, as basic as it looks. In my hands, it never sounded as it should have, so I gave it up. I'm afraid its secret working still escapes me, but now I think I might have another go at it. Some details I missed in my previous attempts seem to be there in your video.

Good lesson! Thank you :-)

In an interview with Mother Maybelle, from years past, I recall she referred to the style as the "Church Lick". My husband started playing guitar in 1961, he also tells me that he had always known this as the Church Lick.. he says the lick had another component (which he plays) , and is slightly more involved, and has a much fuller sound.

Great tutorial🙋‍♂️👍 wish I‘d be sitting in your kitchen, singing and playing with you and have a ☕️ Thanks and Greetings from Berne Marcel 🎸🎤☕️