Beginner Theory: The Nashville Number System
I thought it would be appropriate to begin a series of posts today on beginner's music theory since today is the day that I begin giving lessons. If any of you are interested in learning more, feel free to head over to the "lessons" tab of String Theories and message me with whatever you'd like to learn or go more in depth in to. Today I will be breaking down one of the most commonly used and practical tools for musicians to work quickly and efficiently regardless of the key a song is in: The Nashville Number System. If you've ever wondered what someone means when they say that a note in a song is a "four chord" or a "minor six", then I hope this post gives you some insight into this incredibly useful method of working through songs!
Purpose
The Nashville Number System is nearly as old as guitar playing itself, having originated in the early 1950's. The system allows for quick notation of the chords that make up a song while remaining independent of the key of the song. This is particularly useful when a vocalist needs to change a song's key or if a band needs to change the key in order to have smoother transitions between songs. The system relies on numbers as opposed to the typical Germanic letters of the musical alphabet to communicate which notes are to be played.
How it Works
The Nashville Number System's basic premise is its assignment of numbers to the notes of a scale degree. In simpler terms, if the notes of a key were laid out from 1-8 (or a whole octave), wherever each note lies on the scale would be its degree in the Number System. I'll give an example below if you were to find a 1,4,6,5 progression in G:
Key: G
Notes in the key:
G Am Bm C D Em F# G
Number in the NNS:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
So if you are working in the key of G and someone says the chord progression is 1,4,6,5, the progression would be G, C, Em, and D. It's important to remember that 2, 3, and 6 are almost always minor chords, which is why the E is and Em above. The 7th degree of the scale is also typically a diminished chord, but I'll go more in depth on that in later posts. Now, let's look at how the progression would look if a vocalist needed to raise the key to A. Remember, the progression is 1,4,6,5.
New key: A
Notes in the key:
A Bm C#m D E F#m G# A
Number in the NNS:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
So the G, C, Em, D progression from the key of G would transpose to A, D, F#m, E in the key of A. Since it may be a few days until my post on the circle of fifths, if you need to find the notes in the key and don't wan to simply google them, remember that from the tonal note (in the case of the example below, "D"), you would count in a series of whole steps and half steps at the pattern of W-W-H-W-W-W-H. I'll put an example below:
Key: D
Notes in the key:
D (w) Em (w) F#m (h) G (w)
A (w) Bm (w) C#dim (h) D
Number in the NNS:
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
Arabic Numerals vs. Roman Numerals
When using the Nashville Number System, there are no rules as to which numeral system you should use when denoting chords. The two most commonly used number types used are the Arabic Numeral System (1,4,6,5) and the Roman Numeral System (I, IV, vi, V). Both are common and will not cause any problems to use, with the only differences in the two being how they denote different chords. Minor chords in the Arabic Numeral System typically have a dash (-) beside them, or the typical lowercase "m", while any 7's, 9's, 11's, or other notes added to the chords are written as the usual superscripts above the note. Since the seventh chord is a diminished chord, these are denoted with a superscripted "o" next to the note. I'll show an example below:
Key: C
Note:
C D E F G A B C
NNS:
1 2- 3m 4 5 6m 7° 8
Or:
2m 3- 6-
The Roman Numeral System has only sight differences, as minor chords are written as lowercase numerals and major chords are written in uppercase. Diminished chords are written in lowercase as well, with the same superscripted denotation next to them. Example:
Key: C
Note:
C D E F G A B C
NNS:
I ii iii IV V vi vii° VIII
Inversions
Whenever the issue of playing inverted chords arises, simply denote the chord in the NNS by adding a slash and the bass number of the chord. For example, in the key of F, a 1/3 chord would be an F, first inversion (meaning and A would be the lowest note of the chord as opposed to the F). A 1/5 would similarly be an F with the C being the lowest note. Many bassists I know choose to use this type of notation whenever the bass is not playing the root note of a chord as a way to note what the band is playing and what they should play. It should be noted that the bass note, or the number on the right when noting chord inversions, should always be relative to the overall scale, not just counting up from the chord you are on. I'll show an example below:
Key: F
Note: F (first inversion)
Notation: 1/3
Note: Bb (Second inversion)
Notation: 4/1
Note: C (first inversion)
Notation: 5/7
Please comment with any questions, concerns, etc. and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Cheers,
Ryan
