Carter family ?

[Papajerry]

I’m trying to figure out a knotty problem, ( I hope this is the right place to post it). Is Carter brush done with a flat pick, or with thumb and a finger?

 

[Boneman]

Looks like all fingers:

 

[Papajerry]

Looks like it to me, but on utube there a lot of lessons playing with a flat pick. It just ain’t right!

 

[Boneman]

You-tubers will get you in the vicinity, for some that’s good enough, others want to copy it exactly how the record is. Often the artists themselves never play the songs the same way every time so it’s good to play it how you want

 

[schoolie]

There's a good book by Fred Sokolow, The Carter Family Collection (Hal Leonard) Transcriptions of 32 songs and a section on the technique.

 

[plaidseason]

There's a good book by Fred Sokolow, The Carter Family Collection (Hal Leonard) Transcriptions of 32 songs and a section on the technique.

I second this. And I have the book.

 

[Stuball48]

My first impression is a thumb pick for bass notes, and finger pick for finger 1 and the Carter brush is done with finger 1 and no picks on fingers 2, 3, and 4.

 

[Papajerry]

I lost the tip of my right thumb to an altercation with my old table saw,so thumbpicks don’t work anymore. I think I’ll try this with bare fingers.

 

[schoolie]

I play without a thumbpick or fingerpicks. Don't sweat it.

 

[Br1ck]

Whatever works. When asked why he only used thumb and one finger, James Burton replied that he could do pretty much anything he wanted that way. Hybrid picking enables you to fake your way through anything.

 

[sailingshoes72]

Over the years, I've heard this hybrid style of picking/strumming referred to as the "Carter Scratch".

The Carter Scratch

Maybelle Carter certainly earned the title of Mother of Bluegrass Guitar. Starting in 1927, her lead and rhythm guitar playing laid the foundation that…

thebluegrassjamboree.com

Playing that big Gibson L-5 Archtop, young Maybelle Carter could get those bass runs to really project out to the listening audience!