Nashville Numbers, anyone have an example?

[johnporter]

I 'get' the whole number thing but really, isn't this a lot more concise? ...

Yes much more concise.
However, If for whatever of many reasons you need to change keys.
How long would it take someone to re-write that & hand a copy to each member of a ?multi-piece? band?

NNS charts do not have to be re-written.

 

[psychotelepathic]

I 'get' the whole number thing but really, isn't this a lot more concise? ...

Although I'm new to using the NN system, there are certainly many benefits over traditional chord charts. You can call out a I-IV-V, or ii-V-IV-I or whatever, and everyone knows where you're at. It also helps me transpose with my steel player when I capo up. It's an efficient and flexible system. Nothing wrong with good old fashion chord charts though.

 

[jazztele]

Yes much more concise.
However, If for whatever of many reasons you need to change keys.
How long would it take someone to re-write that & hand a copy to each member of a ?multi-piece? band?

NNS charts do not have to be re-written.

i think ken's point is, if you're good at reading music, you CAN transpose that, no need to rewrite it.

I'm a roman numerals fan for when things must be written down, but i've gotta admit, even that could be a little confusing on a tune like "It was a very good year"...think about it...

 

[blacklinefish]

Yes much more concise.
However, If for whatever of many reasons you need to change keys.
How long would it take someone to re-write that & hand a copy to each member of a ?multi-piece? band?

NNS charts do not have to be re-written.

Just looking at that I can hear the melody in my head, and guess what the chords sound like below it. I can transpose that lead sheet on the fly (chords and melody) and I am not a professional. Working musicians should have no problem with this.

However, for everyone else, the Nashville and roman-numeral systems do a very good job of making a workable system for chords.

 

[gtech]

from http://guitargogo.com/Nashville_Numbering_System

A diamond around the chord name often means to strum the chord once and hold it until the next chord is called for. In regular music they call that a tacet.

 

[JayFreddy]

from http://guitargogo.com/Nashville_Numbering_System

A diamond around the chord name often means to strum the chord once and hold it until the next chord is called for. In regular music they call that a tacet.

Thanks! Strange coincidence, I was showing this to one of my students this today: 1- b7 b6 5 1-

The tacet is on the last 1-...

Does anyone know how to make a diamond around a number using html? How about with notepad?

Thanks again for the education. My understanding of the Nashville Numbers is much clearer thanks to this thread.

 

[klasaine]

i think ken's point is, if you're good at reading music, you CAN transpose that, no need to rewrite it.

I'm a roman numerals fan for when things must be written down, but i've gotta admit, even that could be a little confusing on a tune like "It was a very good year"...think about it...

Exactly. If you can read? You can transpose. They go together (especially chords). We transpose charts here all the time and nobody re-writes it. And, though I'm not really advocating one system over another (I personally LOVE roman numeral chord charts) - this is just a personal preference because as Getbent mentioned, there's more than one #'s system. 'Standard' notation is essentially that - one system, world wide (except for h in Germany).

One of the reasons why I posted "It Was a Very Good Year" is because of the potential ambiguity of the key. Is it in Dm, F or A?
Key sig. is F or Dm but it ultimately resolves to A major. (I say Dm but one can see the potential for debate here)

Think about any standard or jazz tune that starts the bridge on a non-diatonic chord - 'Night and Day' for example. Or even the Beach Boys "Warmth of the Sun", "I Get Around" or "Surfer Girl". There's so many modulations it would look disastrous in any number system. In Roman numerals it would resemble a traditional harmony class assignment and I don't even know how you'd do it in NV#'s (If they do that though I'd seriously like to see how - honestly curious).

 

[getbent]

lots of nashville charts I've gotten had roman numerals.... they mix and match a lot... there isn't like a guild of nashville numbers people who have rules and regulations etc....

it is just quick and dirty for guys who (frequently) don't read notation but understand musical concepts.

 

[gtech]

Thanks! Strange coincidence, I was showing this to one of my students this today: 1- b7 b6 5 1-

The tacet is on the last 1-...

Does anyone know how to make a diamond around a number using html? How about with notepad?

Thanks again for the education. My understanding of the Nashville Numbers is much clearer thanks to this thread.

I would use this kind of program to make an jpg file and post it in the HTML file

http://www.robhainesstudio.com/numchart/sample_charts.htm

 

[Andy R]

Couple of quick comments- I've been using this for years- a diamond is a whole note, most emphatically NOT a tacet. The number system is great for country, R&B, most rock and modern pop, but it really doesn't work for most jazz or traditional pop songs. Imagine "Joy Spring" in numbers!! Also , I never understood the b3 terminology- it should be 3b . Have you ever played in the key of bB?

 

[klasaine]

What key is this 'bad boy' in?

image removed

*Changes are a composite of both the Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb recorded versions.

**This is also very interesting from a "form" perspective (to reference the other thread). I notated it for myself as A B C (the little squares), but in some ways it's kinda just one big chorus (or verse?) and a great solo that is the melody restated. Genius tune!

 

[JayFreddy]

Also , I never understood the b3 terminology- it should be 3b . Have you ever played in the key of bB?

This is an example of where the terminology can get cross-wired...

I first learned Roman numeral analysis at Berklee using all capital Roman numerals (e.g, III = 3-, bIII = 3b), and then learned classical analysis at Boston Conservatory using the lower case for minor, and capitals for majors (e.g., iii = 3-, and III =3b)

It was funny because my Classical harmony teachers would take it personally and get really emotional whenever I'd make a mistake and accidentally use the Jazz analysis I'd learned... Honest, it's nothing personal!

If you're using Nashville numbers, I think it's a bit dogmatic to say "it should be this way"... It makes more sense to say, "This is the way my circle of people do it..."

I can see how Nashville numbers can get complicated over modulations, but by the time you're understanding modulations, hopefully you've started learning regular manuscript too. I'm sure the "native Nashville numbers" guys can chart modulations effortlessly, even though it confuses the heck out of the rest of us...

 

[jbmando]

I never understood the b3 terminology- it should be 3b . Have you ever played in the key of bB?

I think it has more to do with notes or chords than keys. We all say, for example, m7b5 meaning a minor 7th chord with a flatted 5th. When we're calling out chords, or writing them out for a chart, it makes sense to call an Eb chord in the key of C a flat 3, rather than a 3 flat, like we call an F chord in the key of G a flat 7 rather than a 7 flat. It kind of keeps it consistent with how we name chords. There are always exceptions I guess, and it's a matter of what you get used to.

 

[klasaine]

I'm sure the "native Nashville numbers" guys can chart modulations effortlessly, even though it confuses the heck out of the rest of us...

I'm sure they can too. Even a lot of the 'pop country' radio hits have modulations, etc. That's why I'm asking ... I would LOVE to see how they do it in NV#'s. I'm always looking for ways to sketch out a concise chart super fast.

 

[bingy]

What key is this 'bad boy' in?

image removed

*Changes are a composite of both the Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb recorded versions.

**This is also very interesting from a "form" perspective (to reference the other thread). I notated it for myself as A B C (the little squares), but in some ways it's kinda just one big chorus (or verse?) and a great solo that is the melody restated. Genius tune!

Looks like the key of C to me.

 

[getbent]

I'm sure they can too. Even a lot of the 'pop country' radio hits have modulations, etc. That's why I'm asking ... I would LOVE to see how they do it in NV#'s. I'm always looking for ways to sketch out a concise chart super fast.

you use an up angled arrow for mod up and how many steps

or a down angled arrow for mod down...

you do walk ups and walk downs the same way..

there may be other ways of doing it... I think of this as like how my dad (a military guy) used to speak in military speak... you pick it up really fast and it makes sense very quickly.

 

[gtech]

Thanks! Strange coincidence, I was showing this to one of my students this today: 1- b7 b6 5 1-

The tacet is on the last 1-...

Does anyone know how to make a diamond around a number using html? How about with notepad?

Thanks again for the education. My understanding of the Nashville Numbers is much clearer thanks to this thread.

This afternoon I was teaching a song to my niece, and what I used instead of the diamond is "C (hold)", which could translate to "1-(hold)" for your example.

But I remember that when I began to use tabs a long time ago, the diamond was used as the equivalent as the round.

 

[klasaine]

Looks like the key of C to me.

Looks can be deceiving. It starts in C, but it's all about making it's way to the key of A major where it stays for awhile, repeats the verse, then the baritone solo (which is the first 1/2 of the verse melody) then back into "A" where I feel it remains because of the repeating little morse code motif that focuses on A.

That's the type of 'modulation' I'm talking about, not just the classic up a step at the end of the tune.

*The Glen Campbell version is in F and D.

 

[getbent]

yeah and I was ucke (what you call f and d) when I first tried to figure it out a long time ago....

I think they recorded it in LA so it was in standard notation. ha ha

someone probably sang the parts to Glen since he didn't read.

 

[Tim Bowen]

*The Glen Campbell version is in F and D.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

As to the Campbell track, *I* think it starts in 'F'. To me, the intro is basically I - ii - I - V. The dead giveaway is that C11 chord, which more often than not in a pop tune is going to function as a V.

At the beginning of the verse, I still think it's key of F: IV - iii - ii. The pre-chorus starts on Dm, goes to Am, and in my mind, we're still in the basic key center of F here. The catalyst of the tune is the second half on the pre-chorus, which contains G to D/F#. From there, I suppose it depends upon how one chooses to theorize "Sweet Home Alabama", but for me, we're squarely looking at a D tonal center, and I see that Cadd9 line cliche as being a b7 chord in D and nothing else. Again, my ticket is to look at what might be functioning as a V chord. This section of the tune ends with an Asus or A7sus4, either of which is almost certainly functioning as, and wanting to resolve as, V of D.

If you play anything remotely similar to the baritone bass ride melody on the Campbell track, it's tough to see anything other than a home base tonality of F. This track contains few actual F chords but it nonetheless maintains a very strong F tonality. The Campbell track contains a nice fade, but for that particular cadence, I think the only obvious 'real time' ending chord is D major, a simple triad, and that's the chord I end it on. I played the tune again last night. In my opinion, the Campell track has two basic key centers - F and D.