Great video. Helpful tip-To find the 6 don’t count up from the root like G A B C D E, count backwards. from the octave. G, what comes before G, F what comes before F, E. It’s quicker.
Thank you for doing this video. It has helped me out a lot. I had a session the other day with chord charts but the singer couldn’t sing the key in the chart and was moving around keys to workout the best key for their voice but transcribing it in a timely fashion was just not doable. Now will be writing all charts to included the Number System
thanks Steve; heard about Nashville numbers system in conjunction with Glen Campbell more that a couple of years ago. Today, for no particular reason decided to look it up to see what the fuss was about. Wow! very brilliant compact system. Well, wish you the best...
The real genius of NNS is shown at 14:50 if you think how this works with transposable instruments: i.e. playing one note sounds another (very common with brass). Consider what happens when you call in a couple of acoustic players to fill out the sound. One has a twelve string tuned down two semitones. The other has a six string, but he's capoed up three frets to get a higher voicing. Traditional notation would force all that to be scored for everyone. With NNS you just call out the transposed players: "You're in A, you're in E, the rest of us are in G, and the chords are..." And everyone plays the chords automatically. As a guitarist, there isn't much prettier to me than multiple guitars playing in harmonized unison, the same part but with different voicings. Mix it in stereo and listen in headphones - that is musical utopia.
Any tips on how to learn to know any particular scale degree in all of the keys to be able to see the actual chords behind the numbers on the fly? Right now, if I had to play reading from your chart I'd have to decipher everything you wrote to figure that out. Embarassing? Yes)
This is also the best way for someone to learn any instrument that plays chords. As it shows them what chords to learn in what order. C,F,G/1,4,5 Then an Am 1645,Dm 1625. even if they are not learning other peoples songs. Think of all they can come up with. G next learn the 5/57th and the Em 145/1645/1625. Just learn the 5/57th and the 6m. And soon you will be able to play it in all keys. What ever you learn in one Key you can play in another. All the Hal and Mel books should be rewritten to reflect this system.
Steve, Good video. Unfortunately the scale you are using...1, 2m, 3m, 4, 5, 6m, 7dim is not the Nashville Number System. This is a widespread misconception about the NNS. All the chords in the NNS are Major. There is never a time when the 2, 3, or 6 will automatically be played as minor chords. A number by itself in the NNS will ALWAYS be played as a basic Major chord. A minor chord must have a suffix attached as in 2- or 2m. I believe you mean well...may I suggest you research this further and get it it right. Wish you the best!
Hi Steve thank you for making this vid for everyone on this subject:) I’m just starting to learn the number system & I’m excited! I understand the concept I think & am wondering if learning all numbers in all keys is memorizing them like multiplication? I know 9x9 is 81 without counting or thinking. It’s number association. When I see 9x9 I think 81. Is this how learning the number system is? Just hard efficient & effective memorization? Would luv your thoughts whenever you have a chance! Thank you so much for sharing this video with us:)
This.....looks...... A .... -LITTLE- .....familiar, Steve. Hmmmm. I use a shortened/simplified version of NNS on my songwriting (spent some time 'n trips to Nashville in the past). Good to see you do a pretty darn complete and thorough explanation of the subject. You do realize, that all classically-trained pianists (etc) are sitting there with their eyes glazed over, rolling back into their heads, muttering..."Why don't you JUST READ THE $&#@ing NOTES ON THE $&#@ing A R R A N G E M E N T and MUSIC SCORE ??!?!? ....Loving it!!! Well done, great explanation.... Now let's see 'em instantly transpose on the fly, or an audible called by the band leader...without prior rehearsal !!! Crossbow (Florida...from Texas, originally).
i loved this video man showed me a lot good stuff! would appreciate if you can help me out with this one thing im having issues with.. so i'm playing in key of E so i write 1-5-6-4-5-??? i want to add D major in the last but what number do i use? also if i wanted to do E major, C major, D major it would be 1-?-? how do i write borrowed chords in NNS ?
Not sure if I understand your question but see if this helps. Some of this you will likely already know but I'll include it in this comment just for clarity. Regardless of beginning note, the numbers follow the major scale built on that note which follows the unchanging pattern of whole and half steps thusly: W W H W W W H. Therefore in the key of E the major scale would be: E F# G# A B C# D#. In the NNS the 1-7 chords would be major chords built on those notes. Now, I think your question is how would you write an "in between" chord number? In the key of E(1), I think you would most likely see a C written as 6b (flat) and the D as 7b. Another really common "in betweener" is a 4 sharp diminished which you would almost certainly see charted as 4#⁰. It's really fairly simple. You just name it what it is relative to its neighbor that actually falls on the major scale. Hope that helps someone at least a little.
Learn theory and keys signatures, llearn all the chord alterations and learn time signatures.....if dont know these things you would not understand this . If you dont know how to add a sharp 11 to your chord or what an altered dominant chord with a sharp 9 or flat 9 you wouldn't get some of the more complex chord numbers . Doing sessions is for experienced musicians anyhow 😮
