The Cambridge Companion to the Guitar (Cambridge Companions to Music) by Victor Anand Coelho

Author:Victor Anand Coelho [Desconhecido]
Language: por
Format: epub
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2003-07-10T03:00:00+00:00

9 The guitar in country music

gordon ross

The guitar has always played a primary role in the composition, perfor-

mance, and image of country music. The steel-string acoustic guitar, or

“flat-top,” provided the rhythmic and harmonic foundation in the original

string bands and has since been included in all country music recordings

and performances without exception. In North America, the acoustic guitar

has become a symbol not only of country music, but of traditionalism, rural

values, “down-homeness,” and a folk-based ideology.

The authenticity of a country music performance depends upon stylistic

variables that combine to create a personal musical experience both for the

audience and for the performer. Musical elements such as vocal sound, sub-

ject, performance practice, and instrumentation merge with iconographic

ones such as boots, cowboy hats, pedal steel guitar, and acoustic guitar in

order to maintain this authenticity and produce the genre recognized by

audiences as country music.

The traditionalism associated with the acoustic guitar lives on in the

repertory of folk songs, ballads, dances, and instrumental pieces brought

to North America by Anglo-Celtic immigrants during the seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries. British folk culture came to all regions of English-

speaking North America, and pockets of tradition still exist in such places

as rural New England, Appalachia, and the Maritime provinces of Canada. 1

By the same token, country music is deeply rooted in the folklore of British

broadside ballads, which were transported to the New World and gained life

as “Americana.” It speaks to its audience from a rural perspective and serves

as a vehicle for tapping into and assessing public opinion, relating personal

experience, and commenting on situations or events. 2

The similarity between much country and folk music stems from the tra-

ditionalism inherent in both, which is inherited from the broadsides and

other folk music forms. 3 The line of demarcation between country and folk music is blurred at best, with both styles crossing over from one to the other; many folk songs could be construed as country and vice versa. While the folk

tradition mainly provides a conduit for comment and protest, country mu-

sic, on the other hand, usually reflects personal experience and sentiment,

avoiding overt protest. Its lyrics take the reflective tone of an observer, rather than the challenge of a manifesto. For both genres, country and folk, the

[133]

acoustic guitar constitutes an important part of the necessary traditionalism.

134 Gordon Ross

Early country music performers used stringed instruments almost ex-

clusively in their performances and on recordings. Solo performers such

as Jimmie Rodgers (1897–1933) and Canadians Wilf Carter (1904–96) and

Hank Snow (1914–99) played acoustic guitar and prominently featured the

instrument in their promotional pictures. Posing with a guitar was not

limited to these early performers. Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and many

others are rarely seen without an acoustic guitar as part of their image.

The tradition of singing songs and accompanying oneself with the guitar

pre-dates the rise of country music and a performer’s use of the instrument

recalls the intimacy of that tradition. Along with solo performance, the

acoustic guitar was used in early country music ensembles. String bands of

the 1920s usually consisted of acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, stand-up

bass, and banjo, or some combination ranging from duos to six-piece

groups. Contemporary bluegrass

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