Introduction to Country Styles

Country is an American music style that emerged in the 1920s, and continues to evolve up until the present day. All of the various country styles generally have lyrical themes which are “true-to-life,” dealing with subjects such as home and family, relationship issues, and so on. Musically, country music traditionally features the steel guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, although the piano also plays an important role in the later country styles.

The old-time country music of the 1920s was quickly followed by the cowboy music of the 1930s and ’40s, which put the “western” into country ’n’ western music. Around the same time, western swing evolved, mixing country with blues and Dixieland elements. Also in the 1940s, bluegrass (with up-tempo banjo and mandolin patterns) and honky-tonk (with lyrical themes of celebration and sin) became very popular. By the late 1950s and early ’60s the Nashville sound arrived, reaching a wide audience with a polished blend of pop and country. By the 1970s, this had been replaced by outlaw, a back-to-the-roots country sound which was a reaction to the more formula-driven Nashville era, and country-rock, a West Coast blend of country melodies and rock rhythms. From the mid-1980s up until the present day, the new country movement has successfully blended more “roots-oriented” country instrumentation with modern pop and rock production.

By the middle of the 20th century, piano players began to make a major contribution to the development of country music. Noted pianists from the Honky-Tonk period were Fred Rose (who played with Hank Williams) and Owen Bradley (who performed with Ernest Tubb). Also, the session ace Hargus “Pig” Robbins played on many records from the Honky-Tonk, Nashville, and Outlaw periods. Perhaps the most famous piano stylist in country music is Floyd Cramer, whose distinctive “slip-note” style was featured on many Nashville sessions. The more contemporary New Country period saw the rise of a new generation of session pianists, including Matt Rollins (Randy Travis and many others) and John Hobbs (Shania Twain and many others).

Our first tune gets us warmed up with a comping pattern that works on a lot of honky-tonk, Nashville, and country-pop songs. The right hand is playing triads in an “alternating eighths” style. The left hand is playing the root and 5th of the chord on beats 1 and 3, respectively. This is varied by using country “walkups” and “walkdowns” with the left hand. These are very authentic devices that you can use on your next country gig!

Listen to track 64 (slow tempo) and track 65 (fast tempo) to hear “Outlaw Country.” You may notice that either tempo can work well for a country tune, depending on the mood. This tune is recorded with a rhythm section on the left channel, and the piano part on the right channel; so, to jam along with the band, just turn down the right channel!

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We’re next going to look at the intro to the famous country song “Crazy,” which was a hit for Patsy Cline, and was written by Willie Nelson (an icon of the Outlaw Country period). The song adds some blues to this Nashville country style, with the use of half-step movements and grace notes in the right hand. The left-hand part is also a little reminiscent of “stride piano,” playing roots on beats 1 and 3, and mid-range chords on beats 2 and 4.

Our last tune is a melody arrangement (the vocal melody is in the right-hand part) of “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” a classic country song from Hank Williams. After the 4-bar intro, the left hand plays the root of the chord on beat 1, and the 5th of the chord on beat 3, sometimes with added connecting tones and “pickups.” The right hand is playing triads or four-part chords with the melody, mixed with arpeggios during the longer melody notes (for example, in measure 7). This is all very typical of mainstream country, and can serve as a model for your country melody arrangements.