Nashville Numbers System - do you use it?

[40Hz]

Yes.

For lead sheets, chord charts, and similar.

If the music score isn’t using standard notation I prefer Nashville.

 

[mrcbass]

I don't really use it in my charts, but I do tend to think like that (relative chord relationships) on my fretboard. Makes for easy transposition on the fly most of the time - so long as open strings aren't in play.

 

[Eric Ryan]

For quick & dirty work, it's great. We used it in church, to great effect (for those of us who knew what was going on...).

 

[SAlcott]

I've been in the house band for a few steel guitar shows. I learned Nashville Numbers in a hurry on my first one, and have since gained a lot of respect for how sophisticated the system can be.

 

[Aussie Player]

No.
I learn songs note for note then play them my way.

 

[Brother Goose]

Have used it all of my musical life - my papa taught me using that system.

Fast forward 30ish years and I live in Nashville!

 

[MLC_BassPlayer]

Yes. It's great when learning songs on the fly...

 

[MichelD]

I play in a semi-pro band with a pro steel player (toured with Ray Condo, Big Sandy and others) so when he brings a new song in, he presents it in the number system with a side note of the key he wants to do it in.

 

[Jefenator]

Chart unfamiliar songs in close to real time, work up a whole new set in a couple hours, transpose on the fly...
What's not to like?

 

[BigBadBen67]

I use it. I end up sitting in a lot where I have to get up to speed on large numbers of songs quickly. It’s great for that. Once you get familiar with it you can chart out a tune almost in real time.

 

[mambo4]

Just curious how many players use this for themselves as opposed to writing regular chord charts out. Also, do you ever get handed a numbers chart as opposed to a regular chord chart? Is it just a Nashville thing?

Never. I cut my teeth on lead sheets and fake books, with horn players who could transpose on the fly. I tend to parse chords as "Roman Numeral" Functional harmony in real time, so transposing familiar changes is easy. Functional harmony is almost NN, but seeing an actual NN chart would slow me down. I'd have to practice reading NN.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Our guitarist is a capo junkie. Fortunately I play by a pattern, not necessarily by note. ( I do know a lot of notes on the neck). I just move the 'pattern' up or down to be in the appropriate key. Example, guiatrist is playing a song that is in the key of "G" chords but capo'd 3 frets up, I move my G pattern 3 frets up. Instead of trying to find A#, D#, E#, etc. (1, 4, 5). So, I guess that is the 'numbering' system?

 

[eniac]

Been using it for years. Also, during my last church band run several years ago, I came up with a number system for vocal harmonies that was super easy to use for any singer who was even half-competent and half-motivated.

 

[Freight Train]

I once played with a singer who would experiment with changing keys from time to time, so I started writing out very rudimentary numbers charts(really just the chords and overall arrangement). Even though I'd largely memorized the tunes, it was a good exercise. Recently got a copy of The Nashville Number System by Chas Williams and man, there's so much more that one can do with this approach than my bare-bones charts.
Just curious how many players use this for themselves as opposed to writing regular chord charts out. Also, do you ever get handed a numbers chart as opposed to a regular chord chart? Is it just a Nashville thing?

I use the Nashville system exclusively. All the blues players I come in contact with use it. It's so easy, especially if you need to transpose, I don't see the need to do otherwise.

 

[mborn]

I use it all the time. Every Tuesday I play bass at a jam where the singers request their sings on Thursday before and everyone gets an electronic chart of every song on Sat, which is active. Works great expect when the singer announces up 3, up 5. They just move their kapo, bass and piano have to transpose on the fly, in their head.

So Nashville numbers is the only way to do it. I practice each song and keep a mental note of the chords number relative to the root and its location on the fretboard, and play then it as a pattern, which is movable.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I once played with a singer who would experiment with changing keys from time to time, so I started writing out very rudimentary numbers charts(really just the chords and overall arrangement). Even though I'd largely memorized the tunes, it was a good exercise. Recently got a copy of The Nashville Number System by Chas Williams and man, there's so much more that one can do with this approach than my bare-bones charts.
Just curious how many players use this for themselves as opposed to writing regular chord charts out. Also, do you ever get handed a numbers chart as opposed to a regular chord chart? Is it just a Nashville thing?

I'm not sure if I do or not. I can play and have played with charts using Roman Numerals for the chords and I'm comfortable with that because I just have to know the key we're in and away I go. Works good for jams or for learning new songs if not sure what key to use. If there's more to it than I, IV, V - I, II, V, - I, II, IV, V, VII, kind of thing then I haven't.

On Jams if I don't know the song off the top of my head and someone hollers out, It's a I, IV, V Shuffle in A, (or whatever key), or Slow Blues, or a slow I, VI, IV, V, in whatever rhythm in whatever key I'm good.

The female vocalist in our touring group back in the early 70's needed everything to be in Bb at the time. I showed her how to breath for singing so she had better breath support and she worked on it. By about a month later, we started doing songs in whatever key they were recorded in originally or whatever other key she wanted to use. Was liberating to play songs in something other than Bb for her because she truly did have a beautiful voice and was great stage eye-candy as well.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

With software that can transpose charts on the fly, I have no reason to use it. I can see it's usefulness in a situation where I'm listening to a song and write a chart on the fly, 1, 5, 6, 1, etc. But I really don't do that. Ever. If there were an online repository of songs in NNS, I'd use that.

 

[LowendG]

Very cool to hear different folks' approach. As I say, I've been writing out very simple numbers charts for a while, but digging into the book by Chas Williams is very interesting--so much detail can be communicated in a numbers chart if you know the "language". What's also cool is he gives examples of charts written by different players for the same tune. Some pretty big differences - some are quite bare bones while some resemble hieroglyphics!

 

[Calebmundy]

All day every day. Like it’s my job or something haha! I include a lot of info-especially kick patterns and key bass lines or licks.

 

[BigBadBen67]

I was doing a gig recently where they wanted to play Al Greene's Love and Happiness, which is a great tune but a pretty wonky arrangement. So I charted it out. Kind of fun sitting in the rehearsal and being the only guy who could play it correctly, not gonna lie.