Carter Family picking

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.

Maybelle Carter both sang and provided instrumentation in the group, playing guitar, banjo, and autoharp.

"[9] 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.

[11] Additionally, Maybelle listened to the radio and phonograph records and attended local music jams, "anything to get a little something different," she said.

[9] For several years, Riddle and the Carters spent a lot of time together, learning new songs and perfecting their technique.

"[9] Riddle is credited with teaching Maybelle and the Carters one of their famous tunes, "Cannon Ball Blues.

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.

[2] 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.

"[2] The style mimics the rhythm of African American music including jazz and bluegrass with its steady upbeat, also known as a backbeat.

Maybelle's guitar style has been widely copied and is credited with "transform[ing] the instrument from background rhythm to the dominant lead sound in pop culture.

That same year, Maybelle accompanied the New Lost City Ramblers to the Newport Folk Festival, where she led workshops to teach young musicians the Carter scratch.

[9] Maybelle also played with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who admired her musical aptitude, on their famous album Will the Circle Be Unbroken.

"[13] Many folk and country artists acknowledge Maybelle's influence on their music including: Perry Como, Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Marty Stuart, Emmylou Harris, Woody Guthrie, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, and Johnny Cash.