Western music is a form of folk music originally compose by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the western United States and western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, western music celebrates the life of the cowboy on the open ranges and prairies of western North America. The Mexican music of the American Southwest also influenced the development of this genre. Western music is related to country music, which shares similar origins but developed in the Appalachians and reflected the life of the people of that region. Guitars, fiddles, and the accordion are the most common instruments used in Western music.