Country music is about tradition, yet its simple form lends itself to endless variations on similar themes. Like blues — the two genres often shared themes, melodies and songs — country is a simple music at its core. Most of its songs are built around three chords and a plain melody, but these forms are so basic, they allow for many different styles, from the gritty sounds of honky tonk to the jazzy improvisations of Western Swing.

　　乡村音乐是种传统，而其简单的形式使其由于相似的主题而被其他音乐借用，产生无数的形式。就像是布鲁斯－－这两种音乐经常有共同的主题、旋律和歌曲－－乡村乐从核心来讲是种简单的音乐。其中的多数歌曲只用三个和弦（编者注：布鲁斯也如此，经常用到的三和弦是大调的Ｉ、ＩＶ和Ｖ级和弦）和一个朴素的旋律。正因为这些形式如此的基本，它们允许加入其他众多的音乐风格，像从粗糙的honky tonk之声到西部摇摆乐风中爵士乐般的即兴进阶。

　　Country music grew out of American Southern folk music, both Appalachian and blues, and old-time country was simple and folky, with just guitars and fiddles. As the genre progressed, old time music evolved into the rhythmic guitar-and-fiddle driven traditional country that became the foundation of modern country music, from honky tonk and Western Swing to the pop-oriented Countrypolitan and rock-inflected Bakersfield Sound.

　　乡村音乐来自美国南方的民间音乐，包括阿巴拉契亚和布鲁斯乐。老式的乡村乐简单又纯朴，只有吉他和小提琴。随着此种音乐门类的发展，早年的音乐发展成为节奏感的吉他－提琴为基本演奏形式的，传统乡村为基础的当代乡村音乐，并涵盖了从honky tonk和西部摇摆，到基于流行的都市乡村乐和受摇滚影响的贝克斯费尔德之声。