Regina Montonaro

Professor McKeever
English 1020
June 29, 2016
Word Count: 2007
The Traditions of Country Music
I want to tell you the story of the traditions of country music and how it has evolved over
time in order to demonstrate where country music originated and how it has impacted so many
people over time in order to improve your understanding the this southern form of music.
Country music has become a favorite genre for so many people around the world today, but is
country what it used to be? Are any of the original traditions that were seen in country music still
there? Country music has seen a lot of changes since it originated, and some argue that the music
we call country today is nothing like how country originated. I want to inform you about how
country music originated, the traditional instruments used versus the instruments used in current
country music, the effects country music has on its listeners and how country music has changed
over time. As George Strait said, You know, traditional country music is something that is going
to be around forever.
Early Country Music in Southern America
Country music has only been an established genre of music for less than a century. It
originated in the Southern United States in the 1920s (Peterson 1). Surprisingly, country music
in the 1920s was seen as too rowdy and bawdy for the radio and did not become radio popular

until the early 1930s (Peterson 2). Country music in the 1920s included styles from blues music
and western music to create the unique country style. In the 1920s, Atlanta was the major city in
launching the earliest recording artists (Peterson 2). The aim of the earliest form of country
music was to fit the lifestyles of the agricultural workers and the recording companies in Atlanta
diligently worked to choose the most well fit artists to accomplish their goal. These artists
included Fiddlin John Carson, Vernon Dalhart and Cliff Carlisle who all were able to share their
talents in order to reach out to the intended audience. (Peterson 2). According to Country Music:
Songs of Tradition and Change, Country music has always been about the relationship between
the countryside and the city, home and migration, the past and the present. (1). This genre of
music has always held a value of telling a story that the intended audience can relate to. During
the 1930s and 1940s, the Great Depression took a toll on country music record sales. At this
time, the popularity of radio entertainment and live performances increased, which eventually
caused a slight change in the way country music was heard. As the most common form of
listening was changing, the artists quickly changed to fit the music. Some of the common themes
found in melodies of country music changed to be more upbeat and lively and instrumentation
changed from calm and pure to instruments that could be heard loudly and clearly across a live
venue (Peterson 3). By the 1950s and 1960s, country artists were starting to mix different types
of music in with the typical Western Swing style. Many artists like Dolly Parton and John
Denver began combining pop music with country themes to create a fresh, new form of music
classified still as country (Peterson 4). The first forty years of country music set the tone for the
traditions of the genre as a whole. It started off as a simple form of music intended to reach its
audience in the most relatable way possible.

In early country music, many distinct instruments were often heard in popular songs.
Perhaps one of the most common early instruments in early country music was the banjo. With
its distinctive twang of four strings, the banjo made its way into country music because it was
perfect to easily have a wide range of pitches. Another typical instrument in early country music
is the stringed bass. Being one of the deepest sounding instruments used, the stringed bass
usually provides the deepest note of musical chords that make the music sound more rich and
whole. The fiddle (or violin) is another extremely common instrument in early country music. A
fiddle is often heard playing very fast melody lines, giving the music an exciting twist. A fiddle
has a large rage of notes that the player is able to reach, as well as the capability to reach every
single half step of pitches along the way up any major or minor scale, allowing the music to
cover a large variety of major and dissonant chords. Finally, the washboard was also used quite
frequently in early country music. The sound on this instrument is achieved by moving thimbles
along the rigid surface, creating a short but loud staccato type rhythm. This instrument provides a
very unique sound that gives early county songs a feeling of its original southern roots. While
these instruments do remain in use today, the most common types of instruments in country
music have drastically changed (Instruments in Country Music 1). Today, it is far more common
to hear instruments such as guitar, piano and drums when you turn your radio to the country
station. As artists are evolving with the style of music they are creating, they are leaning toward
instruments that provide an even wider range of notes, more readily available musicians that are
able to fluently play them and still give their music a distinct sound. For example, the piano has a
huge eleven octave range of notes. This gives any artist the opportunity to work in any key or
range they feel comfortable in. Also, in todays country music, much of the other instrumentation
that is heard is actually produced from a synthetic feature on an electric keyboard. This gives an

artist the chance to work with an instruments particular voice in pitches that the actual
instrument is not able to reach (Instruments in Country Music 4). Due to changing times and
advancing technology, the instrumentation in country music has changed drastically over the last
fifty years.
It is no secret that music has a powerful effect on listeners, and country music is no
exception. In studies done by the Cleveland Clinic, it was proved that heart rand and blood
pressure are often influenced by the tempo of music (Patel 20). In this study, subjects listened to
relaxing harp music and then the music suddenly changed to a more upbeat, minor key piece.
With the change, the subjects heart rates instantly went from low to an increased rate. This
proves that music has a direct effect to the human body. According to John Powell, Music plays
upon our emotions and can enhance or change our mood. A good example of this is the way that
film sound tracks give us clues as to how to respond emotionally to the scene we are watching
romance, humor and tension are all magnified by the accompanying music (Powell 20). There is
an expert team of musicians behind every movie soundtrack that carefully constructs the chords,
temps, rhythms, and instrumentation that the audience will hear in order to play on their
emotions in the desired way. It has been proven that music can directly affect not only our
physical bodies, but it also strongly influences our moods in multiple situations. Country music
is a good example of this. Since country music is rooted in the tradition that it reaches out to its
audience on a personal level, it is rarely noted that this type of music makes a person feel uneasy.
The instruments and tempos chosen in country music are more times than not able to make the
listener feel at ease with their calm connotations and voices.
Like any other form of entertainment, country music has seen countless changes since it
began in 1920. The first major change that country music went through was from being a

regional genre to a national one. In 1950, country music was faced with competition from newer
types of music that aimed itself at younger crowds (Country Music 3). As artists such as Elvis
Presley and Buddy Holly became famous, a younger crowd began to follow the genre, and
producers became very aware that they needed to modify the country sound in order to keep their
new following (Country Music 3). By 1990, country music was fully transformed and was now
being blended with new styles including gospel, Cajun music and mainstream pop music. This
new combination of sounds gave country a whole new distinct sound. In another round of
changes, by the year 2000, country music began to return to its traditional sounds. Elements such
as fiddles, banjos and twangy voices wear starting to peak again with the help of artists such as
Brad Paisley and the Dixie Chicks (Country Music 4). It is not uncommon for fans to argue that
country music has taken a turn for the worse as it moves away from its original values and
traditions. For example, in the article The Role of tradition in Modern Country Music, the author
states The fans and REAL artists of country music need to storm the skyscrapers of Nashville
and take their music back. Why? Because that is the tradition of country music (Musgroves 1).
This author also makes other statements like If any single person can tell me with passion that
Taylor Swift cares about the traditions of country music, Ill eat my hat and Country Music has
become the junk drawer of American music. If you dont know what to call it, find a pretty face
to sing it, put a fiddle in the corner, and you can call it country. Yee haw (Musgroves 1). It is
clear that there are many people that criticize the changes country music has made. While it is a
personal opinion, I believe that these changes should be seen as a good thing and growth in the
music business. As society changes, music needs to change with it in order to please the audience
and continue to make them happy.

Country music has impacted its fans in so many ways since its roots began in the 1920s.
Not only has it provided a tradition of reaching out to its listeners to relate to them in personal
ways, it has also provided a calm instrumentation and feeling in the vast majority of the songs
created with the label country music. Since country has always valued reaching its audience on
a relatable level, the changes that the producers and artists have made over time have benefited
not only the business, but fans and audiences everywhere. Country music is a lighthearted genre
and is adored by Americans everywhere. Of course, there are also many critics of this type of
music, but the given fan base is more than enough to keep country music strong and popular in
many years to come.

Works Cited
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< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_music >

"Instruments In Country Music." Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. N.p., n.d.
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2016.<

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Mannes, Elena. The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of
Song. New York:

Walker, 2011. Print.

Musgraves, Kacey. "The Role of Tradition in Modern Country Music." Saving Country
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May 2009. Web. 18 June 2016.

< http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/the-role-of-

tradition-in-modern-country-music/ >
Peterson, Richard A. "10 Things You Didn't Know about the Origins of Country
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Things You Didn't Know about the Origins of Country

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< http://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/662845.html >
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the Beatles and beyond. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

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<

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