Carter-style Lick
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file:Carter-style lick.mid Carter Family picking, also known as the thumb brush, the Carter lick, the church lick, or the Carter scratch,Sid Griffin and Eric Thompson (2006). ''Bluegrass Guitar: Know the Players, Play the Music'', p.22. . is a style of
fingerstyle guitar Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...
named after Maybelle Carter of the
Carter Family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...
. It is a distinctive style of
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
in which the
melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
is played on the
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
strings, usually low E, A, and D while rhythm strumming continues above, on the treble strings, G, B, and high E. This often occurs during the break. The style bears similarity to the frailing style of
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...
playing and is the rhythm
Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...
adapted for
bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...
two decades later. With this technique, Carter, who "was among the first" to use it, "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It is unclear how Maybelle developed her style. The Carter scratch can be heard on the Carter Family's first recordings, from their first session in
Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary be ...
on August 1, 1927. Maybelle also learned a blues fingerpicking technique from Lesley Riddle, an
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
guitarist who met A. P. Carter in December 1928 and who used to frequent the Carter family household. Carter can be heard playing in this style on a number of Carter Family recordings. She also played slide guitar and, later, with a flat-pick. :


Origin

The earliest origins of the Carter scratch style of guitar picking are unknown although it is rooted in the music of Appalachia and the American South. The style rose to prominence with the Carter Family, who became popular after their 1927
Bristol Sessions The Bristol Sessions were a series of recording sessions held in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, considered by some as the "Big Bang" of modern country music. The recordings were made by Victor Talking Machine Company producer Ralph Peer. Bristol ...
Recordings. Maybelle Carter both sang and provided instrumentation in the group, playing guitar, banjo, and autoharp. Maybelle learned to play the guitar at the age of thirteen by ear, never reading sheet music. She relied on the example of her brothers and mother to learn playing techniques and traditional folk songs. In the 1920s and 1930s, guitar was not yet a popular instrument in folk or country music. Maybelle recalled that "there weren't many guitar players around. I just played the way I wanted to, and that's it." Maybelle's guitar style has been characterized by archivist and musician Mike Seeger as having a "fluid, flowing, rhythmic sound, a way of playing the melody that… brought you in because it had rhythm and life to it." One student of Maybelle, Ruby Parker, commented on her guitar picking, stating that "She could make that guitar talk to you." Maybelle did not single-handedly invent this playing style, which would become known as the Carter scratch. She recalled that she was influenced by the gospel music of her youth which she heard at Holiness revivals. Additionally, Maybelle listened to the radio and phonograph records and attended local music jams, "anything to get a little something different," she said. She credits Lesley Riddle, an African American musician, as a major influence on her style. Riddle accompanied fellow Carter Family member A.P. Carter on his song-collecting trips and was known for his incredible ability to remember and reproduce any tune. For several years, Riddle and the Carters spent a lot of time together, learning new songs and perfecting their technique. Riddle remembered that for all his visits with the family, he rarely heard the Carters play for him: "They never sang for me. I'd have to do all the picking and singing." Instead, the Carters, Maybelle especially, attentively watched and listened to Riddle picking the blues for hours. But Riddle recollected that "You don't have to give Maybelle any lessons. You let her see you playing something, she'll get it. You better believe it." Riddle is credited with teaching Maybelle and the Carters one of their famous tunes, "Cannon Ball Blues." Several songs highlight Maybelle's signature guitar style. " Single Girl, Married Girl," one of their most popular early recordings, illustrates the "innovation, versatility, and breadth" of the Carter Family's work. " Wildwood Flower" is perhaps the most famous song of the Carter's that includes Maybelle's unique style. Since its recording, it has become a key piece learned by countless fledgling guitarists.


Technique

Maybelle's daughter June Carter Cash remembered her mother's playing technique this way:
"She'd hook that right thumb under that big bass string, and just like magic the other fingers moved fast like a threshing machine, always on the right strings, and out came the lead notes and the accompaniment at the same time. The left hand worked in perfect timing, and the frets seemed to pull those nimble fingers to the very place where they were supposed to be, and the guitar rang clear and sweet with a mellow touch that made you know it was Maybelle playing the guitar."
The Carter Family's music is usually played in 4/4 time and is "slightly uptempo." The Carter scratch, also known as the Carter lick, church lick or thumb brush technique, is based on old banjo frailing style. Flatpicking expert Eric Thompson stated that Maybelle's style "smoothly combines rhythm and lead playing, the two intertwining to form a nicely melodious coherent whole." The style mimics the rhythm of African American music including
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and bluegrass with its steady upbeat, also known as a backbeat. Maybelle often played in the keys of C and F, which she tuned down to remain in C for a more comfortable singing register. A few songs, including "Lonesome Homesick Blues" and "Coal Miner’s Blues," were dropped to D where the low E-string is tuned to a D note. In addition to her iconic Carter scratch, Maybelle played in several other styles, one of which was played on the steel guitar. Mike Seeger, archivist and member of the New Lost City Ramblers, described her famous Carter scratch in detail:
"She plays the melody mostly on the three bass strings, although she does sometimes go to the third and second strings. She plays in a four-pattern measure. She would play on the one count with her thumb downward, and then she would brush upward with her first finger on the treble strings. Then down on the third count, brushing with her first finger, and up with her first finger on the fourth count."


Legacy

The Carter scratch, and more generally Maybelle Carter, have had a great impact on multiple genres of music including country, folk, rock, and bluegrass. Maybelle's guitar style has been widely copied and is credited with "transform ngthe instrument from background rhythm to the dominant lead sound in pop culture." The Carter's music bridged the gap between traditional, Appalachian folk music and new "hillbilly music," which would evolve into country music. For her contribution to country music, Maybelle was the first woman inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
. In the 1960s when folk music grew in popularity, Maybelle's picking style was resurrected. Until this time, Maybelle did not realize the significance of her music, stating that she was "just playing the way I wanted to and that's it." Maybelle was "proud and happy" that her style had become influential in folk and country music because it would keep the genre alive. In 1962, Maybelle played with bluegrass star
Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...
, who grew frustrated that he could not reproduce her distinctive style, yet Maybelle picked it effortlessly in the studio for him. That same year, Maybelle accompanied the New Lost City Ramblers to the
Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...
, where she led workshops to teach young musicians the Carter scratch. Maybelle also played with the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (sometimes abbreviated NGDB), also known as the Dirt Band, is an American band founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and voc ...
, who admired her musical aptitude, on their famous album Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
John McEuen John McEuen, born December 19, 1945, in Oakland, California, is an American folk musician and a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Career Solo work John McEuen was born in Oakland, California. In 1964, at age 18, he became intereste ...
, founding member of the band, remarked that Maybelle "took the guitar and she used it in a way that nobody had thought of before." Maybelle's great niece Rita Forrester once remarked that "I'm sure that anybody who has ever played a guitar has used something of Aunt Maybelle's—they've had to. There's no question in my mind…it would have been hard for nyonenot to be touched by the way she played." Many folk and country artists acknowledge Maybelle's influence on their music including:
Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...
,
Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. He won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His ...
,
Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...
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Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
,
Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country music, country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before be ...
,
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
,
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...
, Earl Scruggs,
Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...
, and
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
. Doc Watson learned the Carter scratch as a boy and adapted it into his own flatpicking style, which was influential in its own right. Woody Guthrie based his most famous song "This Land is Your Land" on Maybelle's lick as well.


See also

*" Wildwood Flower", a traditional song adapted by the Carter Family and first recorded in the 1920s. Maybelle Carter's use of the "Carter Scratch" on this recording and later performances is one of the best-known and widely emulated examples of this form of playing. *
Flatpicking Flatpicking (or simply picking) is the technique of striking the strings of a guitar with a pick (also called a plectrum) held between the thumb and one or two fingers. It can be contrasted to fingerstyle guitar, which is playing with indi ...
* Bass run *
Clawhammer Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or most commonly known as frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music. The style likely descends from that of West African lutes, suc ...
*
Walking bass Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, dub and electronic, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played (in jazz and ...
*
Lick (music) In popular music genres such as country, blues, jazz or rock music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short series of notes used in solos and melodic lines and accompaniment. For musicians, learning a lick is usually a fo ...
*
Oom-pah Oom-pah, Oompah, Ooumpah or Umpapa is an onomatopoeic term describing the rhythmic sound of a deep brass instrument in combination with the response of other instruments or registers in a band, a form of background ostinato. The oom-pah soun ...


Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter Family Picking Guitar performance techniques Cash–Carter family Appalachian music Country music