Nashville Numbers Key Of E

[Lucrecio Poinson]

TheNashville Number System is a method of transcribing music by denoting the scale degree on which a chord is built. It was developed by Neal Matthews Jr in the late 1950s as a simplified system for the Jordanaires to use in the studio and further developed by Charlie McCoy.[1] It resembles the Roman numeral[2] and figured bass systems traditionally used to transcribe a chord progression since the 1700s. The Nashville Number System was compiled and published in a book by Chas. Williams in 1988.

The Nashville numbering system provided us the shorthand that we needed so that we could depend on our ears rather than a written arrangement. It took far less time to jot the chords, and once you had the chart written, it applied to any key. The beauty of the system is that we don't have to read. We don't get locked into an arrangement that we may feel is not as good as one we can improvise.

The Nashville Number System can be used by anyone, including someone with only a rudimentary background in music theory.[2] Improvisation structures can be explained using numbers, and chord changes can be communicated mid-song by holding up the corresponding number of fingers. The system is flexible and can be embellished to include more information (such as chord color or to denote a bass note in an inverted chord). The system makes it easy for bandleaders, the record producer, or the lead vocalist to change the key of songs when recording in the studio or playing live since the new key has to be stated before the song is started. The rhythm section members can then use their knowledge of harmony to perform the song in a new key.

The Nashville Number System (also referred to as NNS) is similar to (movable-do) Solfge, which uses "D R Mi F Sol L S" to represent the seven scale degrees of the Major scale. It is also similar to roman numeral analysis; however, the NNS instead uses Arabic numerals to represent each of the scale degrees.

The key may be specified at the top of the written chord chart or given orally by the bandleader, record producer, or lead singer. The numbers do not change when transposing the composition into another key. They are relative to the new Tonic. The only required knowledge is the major scale for the given key. Unless otherwise noted, all numbers represent major chords, and each chord should be played for one measure.

NNS charts also use unique rhythmic symbols, and variations in practice exist. A diamond shape around a number indicates that the chord should be held out or allowed to ring as a whole note. Conversely, the marcato symbol ^ over the number, or a staccato dot underneath, indicates that the chord should be immediately choked or stopped. The "push" symbol ("" are both used) syncopates the indicated chord, moving its attack back one-eighth note to the preceding "and". A sequence of several chords in a single measure is notated by underlining the desired chord numbers. (Some charts use parentheses or a box for this.) If two numbers are underlined, it is assumed that the chord values are even. In 4/4 time, that would mean the first chord would be played for two beats, and the second chord would be played for two beats. 2- 5 1 means a minor 2 chord for two beats, then a 5 chord for two beats, then a 1 chord for four beats. If the measure is not evenly divided, beats can be indicated by dots or hash marks over the chord numbers. Three dots over a given chord would tell the musician to play that chord for three beats. Alternatively, rhythmic notation can be used.

If you are an experienced musician, you probably are already familiar with the Nashville Number System or have at least heard of it. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is definitely a useful system to know.

The Nashville Number System (also just called the number system) is a way of writing the chords to a song in a "universal" or neutral key using numbers instead of chord names. This way the song can be played in any key at any time with out rewriting it.

Now you're probably asking, "Why would I take the time to do this?" The answer is simple: because everybody in the music industry uses the Nashville Number System. You know, 'when in Rome'? In fact, most Pros and good amateurs will usually assume you already know how to use it.

Obviously you wouldn't be rewriting this every time. The more you use this and the more familiar you are with your scales, the less you have to think about it. "1 4 5 in D? Easy, that's D G & A."

If this still seems a little hard at first, just trust me. When you learn your scales and numbers, it is a bazillion times easier than the other way. And THAT is why everyone uses the Nashville Number System.

Unlike typical chord symbols, the NNS tends to use dashes (-) to indicate a minor chord quality, while major chords have no indicator. Diminished chords (chords built on two minor 3rds) use a degree symbol ( ). See below:

In the cases where multiple chords within the same measure take different amounts of beats, we use little hash marks to show the beat division. See Example 1. And for more complicated beat divisions, we use traditional rhythmic notation or combine pushes with our split bars if that pleases the desired rhythm. See Example 2.

In Example 1, the second measure has a 4 chord on the first three beats, and then a 5 chord on the fourth beat. Then, the fourth measure reverses that. In Example 2, the second measure gives one and a half beats to the 4 chord, and two and a half beats to the 5 chord. In measure four, the same rhythm takes place, but this time notated with hashes and a push.

On the left hand side of a NNS chart, you will see abbreviations for the song sections. This is for organization, ease of communication between musicians, and to help keep a musician in their place while following the song. See below the different types of song sections and their respective abbreviations.

Arrows can also be used in another fashion. The downward arrow can be used to indicate a breakdown or down chorus, where the song hits its lowest point. Then the upward arrow can be used to indicate the last big chorus or refrain of the song.

Xs or the No Chord symbol (N.C.) can be used interchangeably, and indicate parts of the song where there are no chords being played, but the beat and maybe even the melody keeps going. Regardless, Xs or N.C. mean you should not be playing a chord.

Ritardando or Rit. for short indicated a section of the song that should gradually slow down. Oftentimes, retardandos are used at the very end section in a song to indicate a gradual slow down until the last chord.

The Crescendo and Decrescendo symbols are used to indicate gradual increases and decreases in volume, respectively. Crescendos are oftentimes used at the end of a breakdown, leading into the final chorus, indicating a gradual build-up back into a high energy part of the song. Decrescendos are often used at the end of song, indicating a gradual softening to the last chord.

Thank you to Chas Williams, owner of nashvillenumbersystem.com, and writer of The Nashville Number System, for offering his advice and input on this article. Also, he has a great app for making NNS charts.

Converts standard chord symbols to numeric Nashville chord symbols whose root and bass are numbers representing the pitches position in its major scale. It produces legacy chord symbols with numeric roots and bass notes. It will read Sib 6 chords or legacy chords.

The basic chart written with the NNS is based on the tonic or the key of the song. Therefore the 1 chord represents the key of the song. As you can see in example at the top of this article, the key is usually written at the top left of the chart as is the key signature for a song. In the key of C, the numbers would represent the degrees of the C scale as follows:

Charts written with NNS are the same structurally as traditional notation with measured division or bars. Each measure is represented by a single number or a group of numbers. A single number indicates that the referenced chord is played for all the beats of that measure. Groups of numbers (often referred to as a split bar) are either underlined, enclosed in parentheses or are boxed. Two numbers grouped together would indicate that each number or chord gets half of the number of beats for that measure. If the syncopation is not equal between the chords, often a number will be followed by a dot or dots to indicate different beat spacing. For example, in 4/4 this notation: (1..4) would indicate that the 1 chord gets three beats and the 4 chord gets one beat in the measure. Hash marks can also be used to show beat divisions.

These terms are of course standard to classical notation. However, used in an NNS chart, they create even more clarity in sectional delineation and make it easy to call out a specific section of the song.

One beautiful aspect of the NNS is that it really develops your ear and strengthens your ability to recognize intervals. Part of my musical training as a classical pianist and a music major in college for a period of time included ear training and theory. The NNS really puts the rudimentary aspect of theory to work. When listening to a song and writing a chart, you start to hear the interval associated moving from chord to chord. As well, it strengthens your ability to improvise and recognize interval relationships.

The Nashville Number System has become so widely used that even classical notation programs like Finale or Sibelius allow you to choose NNS for chords symbols. This gives you a powerful arsenal with the ability to either use slash notation or even specific rhythmic notation for complex syncopation. As a matter of fact, I often chart songs in the key of C just to get the framework down. Then, I transpose the key signature accordingly to fit the chosen key of the singer.

This is a general overview of the Nashville Number System. There is a plethora of books and tutorials that are floating around the internet that expand dramatically on the subject as well as examples of classic songs written in this system. As always in the learning of any new language, practice makes perfect. NNS is just another notational language that is easy to learn and extremely practical. The whole purpose of chord charts is to get a group of musicians on the same page. A chart using NNS can make that possible even with a wide variety of musical skills and abilities. Dive in and crunch your own numbers, my friends.

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