Nashville numbering system
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I learned the Nashville Number System using the book Song charting made easy by drummer Jim Riley. One of the reviews adds that this is a book for musicians that do not read music. If you appreciate well-thought out, structured lessons and with audio to back them up, it is all here.
You don't really need to learn a lot as far as I know, it's basically as simple as
For a major key C = 1 Dm = 2 Em = 3 etc
For a minor key song the relative major is used so a song in Am is thought of as the 6m and C is the one the verse of Californication would be written as 6m 4 6m 4 etc
So summer of 69 would be written as verse 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5 X 2 then bridge 6m 5 1 4 x 2 etc then chorus 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5
If a chord changes half way through a bar then I write it as 15 and underline it
A lot of songs in rock / pop have flat 7 chords and borrowed chords so a song like Creep I would write as 1 1 3mj 3mj 4 4 4m 4m
I didn't know it was called the Nashville system when I started using it but it seemed the most obvious way to write down chord sequences as I have worked with different singers and played the same songs in different keys all the time over the years. Having watched a couple of Tom Bukovac videos where he charts a song though his system looks like mine, as it's the most obvious way to do it
For a major key C = 1 Dm = 2 Em = 3 etc
For a minor key song the relative major is used so a song in Am is thought of as the 6m and C is the one the verse of Californication would be written as 6m 4 6m 4 etc
So summer of 69 would be written as verse 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5 X 2 then bridge 6m 5 1 4 x 2 etc then chorus 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5
If a chord changes half way through a bar then I write it as 15 and underline it
A lot of songs in rock / pop have flat 7 chords and borrowed chords so a song like Creep I would write as 1 1 3mj 3mj 4 4 4m 4m
I didn't know it was called the Nashville system when I started using it but it seemed the most obvious way to write down chord sequences as I have worked with different singers and played the same songs in different keys all the time over the years. Having watched a couple of Tom Bukovac videos where he charts a song though his system looks like mine, as it's the most obvious way to do it
Nashville Number System Explained
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For the most part this is essentially it.Danny1969 said:You don't really need to learn a lot as far as I know, it's basically as simple as
For a major key C = 1 Dm = 2 Em = 3 etc
For a minor key song the relative major is used so a song in Am is thought of as the 6m and C is the one the verse of Californication would be written as 6m 4 6m 4 etc
So summer of 69 would be written as verse 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5 X 2 then bridge 6m 5 1 4 x 2 etc then chorus 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5
If a chord changes half way through a bar then I write it as 15 and underline it
A lot of songs in rock / pop have flat 7 chords and borrowed chords so a song like Creep I would write as 1 1 3mj 3mj 4 4 4m 4m
I didn't know it was called the Nashville system when I started using it but it seemed the most obvious way to write down chord sequences as I have worked with different singers and played the same songs in different keys all the time over the years. Having watched a couple of Tom Bukovac videos where he charts a song though his system looks like mine, as it's the most obvious way to do it
It isn't usually common to specify whether the chord is major or minor unless it's out of key. That means chords 1, 4, and 5 are always assumed to be major and chords 2, 3, and 6 are assumed to be minor unless otherwise indicated.
Learn what the piano looks like. It really really helps.
We just had a thread about this recently that had some real good info
& a video . I can’t remember the YouTuber who did the video ,it may have been Brian Kelly zombie guitar . There are some good lessons on there. It’s really like the Roman numerals system
but using the major key and regular numbers . Out of key chords are represented too I think with a sharp or flat sign
& a video . I can’t remember the YouTuber who did the video ,it may have been Brian Kelly zombie guitar . There are some good lessons on there. It’s really like the Roman numerals system
but using the major key and regular numbers . Out of key chords are represented too I think with a sharp or flat sign
It's a good system and I use it in my head when trying to work out songs in a trio i play in. So once the key is established common changes are 4 5 etc.
Haha, thanks for the info =) - the explanation above made zero sense to me until you mentioned that standard classification for major/minorEvo said:It isn't usually common to specify whether the chord is major or minor unless it's out of key. That means chords 1, 4, and 5 are always assumed to be major and chords 2, 3, and 6 are assumed to be minor unless otherwise indicated.
This will really help me with charting my stuff that always looks really messy as chords with no structure. Time I learnt!
There is no minor key really ... as I said a minor key is written as it's relative major so Am is written in C, Dm is written in F etc.Revolutions said:Haha, thanks for the info =) - the explanation above made zero sense to me until you mentioned that standard classification for major/minorEvo said:It isn't usually common to specify whether the chord is major or minor unless it's out of key. That means chords 1, 4, and 5 are always assumed to be major and chords 2, 3, and 6 are assumed to be minor unless otherwise indicated.
This will really help me with charting my stuff that always looks really messy as chords with no structure. Time I learnt!
For myself I will chart some stuff as minor .. It just feels better to think of some songs that way but that's just for me.
Thanks - I'll have a watch of themduotone said:Nashville Number System Explained
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That all makes sense, but for my brain to work it, I need to read it or watch it really. At least as I understand all that, I'm coming at it with at least some understandingDanny1969 said:You don't really need to learn a lot as far as I know, it's basically as simple as
For a major key C = 1 Dm = 2 Em = 3 etc
For a minor key song the relative major is used so a song in Am is thought of as the 6m and C is the one the verse of Californication would be written as 6m 4 6m 4 etc
So summer of 69 would be written as verse 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5 X 2 then bridge 6m 5 1 4 x 2 etc then chorus 1 1 5 5 1 1 5 5
If a chord changes half way through a bar then I write it as 15 and underline it
A lot of songs in rock / pop have flat 7 chords and borrowed chords so a song like Creep I would write as 1 1 3mj 3mj 4 4 4m 4m
I didn't know it was called the Nashville system when I started using it but it seemed the most obvious way to write down chord sequences as I have worked with different singers and played the same songs in different keys all the time over the years. Having watched a couple of Tom Bukovac videos where he charts a song though his system looks like mine, as it's the most obvious way to do it
Learning the harmonisation of the major scale (fancy way of saying 1, 4, 5 = major and 2, 3, 6 = minor) is an important part of using the Nashville system but there are a few other things worth noting too.
Chord 5 is considered to be the "dominant" chord and is where you would use a dominant 7th chord (A7, E7, G7 etc as opposed to a major or minor 7th chord). That's where bluesy sounds often live so it isn't a bad idea to throw in your bluesy lines or licks over the 5 chord.
Chord 7 very rarely gets used but when it does, it's a "diminished" tonality. My advice is to avoid it unless you know what you're doing, heck I have a pretty good idea what to do and I still avoid it anyway.
Chord 6 is your relative minor, if you see a lot of chord 6 in your chart then odds are you're in the relative minor key.
There's more of course, but that should get you well on the way.
Chord 5 is considered to be the "dominant" chord and is where you would use a dominant 7th chord (A7, E7, G7 etc as opposed to a major or minor 7th chord). That's where bluesy sounds often live so it isn't a bad idea to throw in your bluesy lines or licks over the 5 chord.
Chord 7 very rarely gets used but when it does, it's a "diminished" tonality. My advice is to avoid it unless you know what you're doing, heck I have a pretty good idea what to do and I still avoid it anyway.
Chord 6 is your relative minor, if you see a lot of chord 6 in your chart then odds are you're in the relative minor key.
There's more of course, but that should get you well on the way.
Surely this numbering system is no different in principle to what Jazzers and popular composers and performers have done since time.
Why is it known as "The Nashville" anything?
Why is it known as "The Nashville" anything?
I don't know, I didn't know it was called the Nashville numbers to begin with when I started charting things out. Maybe it's because some used roman numerals before. I never saw the point in that, a lot of the younger people I teached never knew what they were and couldn't see the sense in writing III when you can just write 3merlin said:Surely this numbering system is no different in principle to what Jazzers and popular composers and performers have done since time.
Why is it known as "The Nashville" anything?
Regardless of where it come from though it is a very quick method of charting something before you choose the key later. I have been asked a few times to look at my chart though by others and they can't make head or tail of it. A lot of people I know write the actual chord names and then either transpose them in their head if the key gets changed or write them out again.
I looked into the Nashville Number System (NNS) when I was interested in classifying things in terms of intervals and have the book at the link below. It's now at version 11, but mine's at version 7 so maybe I should update it.
https://nashvillenumbersystem.com/
It's good to know NNS, just in case I ever encounter a situation where I might need it, which hasn't happened yet :)
But I'm not so keen on numbering the chords for minor keys in terms of the relative major key. So, for example, in the key of Am, an Am chord would be written as 6m. However, the book I referenced above states that this is "most of the time", which implies it isn't always the case.
But I'm not so keen on numbering the chords for minor keys in terms of the relative major key. So, for example, in the key of Am, an Am chord would be written as 6m. However, the book I referenced above states that this is "most of the time", which implies it isn't always the case.
I ended up preferring the type of approach used for Roman Numeral Analysis (RNA) system, and also the specific version of RNA that references things to the root note of the scale, and then numbers things in terms of modifications to the intervals of the major (Ionian) scale. See links below for examples:
https://piano-ology.com/chord-progressions/roman-numeral-analysis/
https://www.musicianposter.com/chords/c168012/7th-chords-roman-numerals-major-scale
You could dispense with the Roman numerals and just use numbers instead, But, for example, if I'm in a natural minor key (Aeolian), I'd still prefer to think of the chords as follows (i.e. relative to the root note of the key, and not in terms of the relative major key)
1(m7), 2(7b5), b3(ma7), 4(m7), 5(m7), b6(ma7), b7(7)
It looks a bit complicated, but I think it avoids ambiguity when harmonising other scales such as harmonic minor, melodic minor, various modes etc. Also, referencing things to the root note of the scale is more connected to my ear.
You could dispense with the Roman numerals and just use numbers instead, But, for example, if I'm in a natural minor key (Aeolian), I'd still prefer to think of the chords as follows (i.e. relative to the root note of the key, and not in terms of the relative major key)
1(m7), 2(7b5), b3(ma7), 4(m7), 5(m7), b6(ma7), b7(7)
It looks a bit complicated, but I think it avoids ambiguity when harmonising other scales such as harmonic minor, melodic minor, various modes etc. Also, referencing things to the root note of the scale is more connected to my ear.
stratman3142 said:
But I'm not so keen on numbering the chords for minor keys in terms of the relative major key.
Correct! It’s awful and stupid! The one chord is the root chord, regardless of tonaility. It’s the home chord. Calling it a 6 goes agains everything. Especially as they call a dorian home chord the 6 too.
Had a watch of the first video - was helpful. I understood it all. I guess what I need to train myself in is in each key, knowing what the 4 chord is, 5 chord etc.duotone said:Nashville Number System Explained
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If I'm playing a song in C and change it to E or G (or use a capo on 5th fret to play G shapes) etc I can usually just play the correct chords without thinking about it. But if I was in E and someone said to play the 4 chord, I'd have to work that out. I guess it comes with practice
The leader of the jazz band I'm in is a self-taught Sax player - he never uses Bb (Tenor) or Eb (Alto) parts, always Concert C parts - good for him. However, can't call numbers in minor keys always uses the relative major - does my head in every time =)stratman3142 said:
But I'm not so keen on numbering the chords for minor keys in terms of the relative major key.
Sometimes the Nashville system is notated using Roman, rather than Arabic, numerals. Then major chords are represented as I, IV, V, etc and minor chords as ii, iii, vi, etc.
I’m glad it was of some use to you, I haven’t watched it in a year or 2, but I remember it being helpful.lincolnblue said:Had a watch of the first video - was helpful. I understood it all. I guess what I need to train myself in is in each key, knowing what the 4 chord is, 5 chord etc.duotone said:Nashville Number System Explained
Learning Songs Quickly - Redesigning Women
If I'm playing a song in C and change it to E or G (or use a capo on 5th fret to play G shapes) etc I can usually just play the correct chords without thinking about it. But if I was in E and someone said to play the 4 chord, I'd have to work that out. I guess it comes with practice
Yeah each of the chords relate to the note in the major scale. So in the key of A a typical blues/12 bar would be the 1/4/5
chords. A-D-E which you probably already play and know. So there isn't too much more for you to learn.
The idea of the Nashville numbering system is rather thinking in chord names you just think numbers so if a song was in say
the key of G and the key needed to be changes you would be asked to play the same thing ( Chords ) but in a different key.
this saves writing everything out again.
For practice play C.Am.F.G then do the the same in D then E etc, Practice without a capo . Good luck.
chords. A-D-E which you probably already play and know. So there isn't too much more for you to learn.
The idea of the Nashville numbering system is rather thinking in chord names you just think numbers so if a song was in say
the key of G and the key needed to be changes you would be asked to play the same thing ( Chords ) but in a different key.
this saves writing everything out again.
For practice play C.Am.F.G then do the the same in D then E etc, Practice without a capo . Good luck.
viz said:stratman3142 said:
But I'm not so keen on numbering the chords for minor keys in terms of the relative major key.Correct! It’s awful and stupid! The one chord is the root chord, regardless of tonaility. It’s the home chord. Calling it a 6 goes agains everything. Especially as they call a dorian home chord the 6 too.
<Digression> I had a similar problem for ages when looking at scale patterns laid out against a chord chart style box on the neck, because guitar tutors seem determined to extend them to cover all possible notes within a 'box' across the strings, so the bloody things almost never start and and on the actual root note.
Coming from a classical piano background, where playing a scale of e.g. G starts and ends on a fucking G, thank you very much, it took me quite a while to wonder why some arsehole was saying "So in G we start with the open E string ..."
Exactly! It’s like trying to do modes before you can do scales.
Thanks for this - great video really well explained. It's not very complicated but her teaching is spot on.duotone said:Nashville Number System Explained
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I think this way too. I find it much easier.Danny1969 said:There is no minor key really ... as I said a minor key is written as it's relative major so Am is written in C, Dm is written in F etc.Revolutions said:Haha, thanks for the info =) - the explanation above made zero sense to me until you mentioned that standard classification for major/minorEvo said:It isn't usually common to specify whether the chord is major or minor unless it's out of key. That means chords 1, 4, and 5 are always assumed to be major and chords 2, 3, and 6 are assumed to be minor unless otherwise indicated.
This will really help me with charting my stuff that always looks really messy as chords with no structure. Time I learnt!
For myself I will chart some stuff as minor .. It just feels better to think of some songs that way but that's just for me.
What's a good resource for learning it? Any good books, videos etc?