Lesson 4 Country-Western Music
Country western music is very old.It came from the USA,Canada,Ireland and Great Britain.Country-western music is a mixture of music from all of these places.
In the American West,cowboys (牛仔)had to take care of the cattle.They had to watch them all day and all night because the cattle were nervous and sometimes ran away.A cowboy’s life was lonely and dangerous.When he was alone with the cattle,he drank strong coffee to stay awake at night.He also sang music to the cattle to calm them.He sang about the stars and the moon,about his family and his friends.The cattle listened to the cowboy and went to sleep.They did not run away if he sang beautiful,peaceful music.
The cowboys also sang music when they traveled to town to relax and have a good time.Sometimes they played either guitars or harmonicas.Later they used violins and other instruments.
In the America South,many people came from Ireland,Scotland,and England.Other people came from French Cannda.They enjoyed their own kind of music.They also added instruments from their homes,like bottle,cans,and spoons.When they visited their friends and families on hplidays like Thanksgiving,they usually sang and played country music.
Country-western music describes life.It talks about love,jobs,home,and money.People in many parts of the world like country-western music because everyone knows something about these ideas.Also,many fans of this music wear western clothes and dance together to country-western music.Many bands all over the world now perform country-western music.