A Basic Guide to Country Music
Country music is a musical style popular in the United States that combines folk, bluegrass, blues, and rural dance music elements. It is a style and genre of predominantly string-accompanied music with roots in Southeast folk music and the cowboy music of the West. It is usually vocalized, generally simple in form and harmony, and characterized by romantic or melancholy ballads accompanied by acoustic or electric guitar, banjo, violin, and harmonica.
Music historians attribute the genre’s origins to the late 1920s in the southern Appalachian Mountains, particularly eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia. However, it was not until 1927 that the musical genre known as country music today took shape.
The “Bristol Sessions,” named after the town of Bristol, Tennessee, where they took place, are regarded by many as the first actual country music recordings made. Rather than being the first recordings ever heard, these recordings reflect the most standardized country music available at the time. Country music was founded on the Appalachian sound and its rich guitar playing. To this day, Bristol is regarded as “the cradle of country music.”
Country music encompasses many styles. The Appalachian Folk genre, commonly referred to as old-time music, began in the Appalachian region of the Eastern United States. English ballads, hymns, Irish and Scottish traditional music, and African and American folk tunes comprise Appalachian music. The banjo, fiddle, and guitar are all featured instruments.
The Bluegrass genre evolved from traditional Appalachian music. This music is primarily comprised of traditional Irish ballads, American blues, and jazz. Guitar, harmonica, fiddle, five-string banjo, and mandolin are among the musical instruments employed.
Western Swing developed in the late 1920s, but gained popularity in wartime nightclubs during the 1930s and 1940s. Western music is a fusion of rustic cowboy jazz and blues and swing. Drums, saxophone, piano, and pedal steel guitar are among the musical instruments employed. This music was prevalent in Texas, California, and Oklahoma.
Rockabilly is another term for country’s version of rock & roll. This style combines elements of Western music and rock and roll. Double bass, drums, guitars, and piano dominate, and the songs have dilutional vocal harmonies and forceful verses.
Honky Tonk started in the working class in the 1940s. The songs were performed in bars using drums, pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar, and fiddle. The themes dealt with heartbreak, loneliness, love, and agony, all of which the working class could relate to.
While there are many styles of country music, there are five elements that unify the genre — folk harmonies, stringed instruments, twangy vocals, confessional lyrics, and frequent duets.
The majority of country music is built around classic chord progressions centered on the major scale. Non-diatonic chords (any notes or chords that are not native to the key) are less common in this genre than in many others.
Most country music bands feature string instruments such as guitar, bass, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar, banjo, and fiddle. Whether from West Virginia or Canada, most country performers sing with a twang in their voice. These vocals help to differentiate country music from other popular musical genres.
Many country songs have confessional lyrics about love, heartbreak, hard labor, and personal pride. Numerous songs are ballads, which are narrative songs. Country music has also always placed a premium on ensemble singing.
