The Nashville number system, explained for bands

What it is and why bands use it

A Nashville chart swaps each chord name for a number: where that chord's root sits in the key of the song. In G, the chords G, C and D are 1, 4 and 5. In D the song uses D, G and A, and the chart still says 1, 4, 5.

That is the point. The singer wants it a step lower, the guitarist puts on a capo, a sub turns up who reads in another key, and the chart stays as it is. Session players in Nashville started using numbers in the late 1950s, and Neal Matthews of the Jordanaires is usually credited with the idea.

The numbers in a major key

Number the notes of the major scale, starting from the key's own note. The chord on each note is major, minor or diminished, and that pattern is the same in every major key: 1, 2m, 3m, 4, 5, 6m, 7°. The 1, 4 and 5 are major, 2m, 3m and 6m are minor, and 7° is diminished.

Read along a row for one key. Read down a column to see the same number in every key. All twelve keys are on the chords in every key page.

Writing the other chords

• Minor: m goes after the number. In C, Am is 6m.
• Sevenths and extensions: they follow the number, as they follow a chord name: 2m7, 1maj7, 5sus4. A plain dominant seventh is the number and a 7, so G7 in C is 57. On paper the 7 is written raised, so nobody reads it as fifty-seven.
• Slash chords: the bass note is a number too. In C, C/E is 1/3 and F/G is 4/5.
• Flat and sharp degrees: a root outside the major scale gets a b or a # in front. In C, Bb is b7, Eb is b3 and Ab is b6. These chords are borrowed from the parallel minor, and rock and worship songs use them a lot.

Minor keys

Charts handle minor keys in two ways. Some count from the relative major, so in A minor the Am chord is 6m, because A is the sixth note of C major. Others count from the minor tonic, and Am is 1m.

GraceNote counts from the root of the song's key, so in a song in A minor the Am chord reads 1m. This is the natural minor scale counted that way:

If a chart in A minor shows 6m, it was written the first way. Same chords, a different starting point.

Common progressions

A handful of patterns carry most songs. Here they are as numbers, with the chords in seven keys.

• 1 4 5 (G C D in G). Three chords. Hymns, country and blues lean on it.
• 1 5 6m 4 (G D Em C in G). One of the most common four-chord loops in pop and worship. 6m 4 1 5 (Em C G D) and 1 6m 4 5 (G Em C D) use the same four chords in another order.
• 2m 5 1 (Am D G in G). The classic way home: from the two to the five to the one. Jazz players write it ii V I.
• 3m 6m 2m 5 1 (Bm Em Am D G in G). See the next paragraph.

That last one follows the cycle of fourths, which is the circle of fifths walked one fifth down at a time. Every root is a fourth above the one before: B to E, E to A, A to D, D to G. Each chord pulls toward the next, so it sounds like falling into place. The full run in a major key is 1 4 7° 3m 6m 2m 5 1 (G C F#° Bm Em Am D G in G), and songs usually join it at the 3m or the 6m.

Using it in the band

• Call the number. “Go to the four” works in any key, and the keyboard player and the bassist hear the same thing.
• Hand signals. Hold up fingers for the number of the next chord. Agree on a sign for minor and for flat before the gig, because there is no standard.
• The last chorus, a step up. The chart still says 1 5 6m 4. The band moves everything up a whole step: G D Em C becomes A E F#m D. Nobody has to reprint anything.

In GraceNote

Nashville numbers are off by default. To turn them on, open a song on Stage, tap Display & Style, and on the Chords tab choose Nashville under Notation. The chords turn into numbers, still above the same syllables. Your song is not changed: switch back to A-G whenever you like. The choice applies to this song; tap Make this the default for all songs to keep it everywhere.

Transpose the song and the numbers stay put, because they don't depend on the key. The numbers count from the song's key, so check the key in the editor if a chart looks off. The same sheet has Solfège, for bands that read Do, Re, Mi.

Questions

Is the Nashville system the same as Roman numerals?

Nearly. Roman numerals show quality with capitals and lowercase (I, ii, V). Nashville uses plain numbers and writes the m after them (1, 2m, 5).

Do I need to read music to use it?

No. You need the major scale of the key, and the chart above gives it for seven common keys.

What is the difference between 7° and b7?

7° is the diminished chord on the seventh note of the scale (B° in C). b7 is the chord a whole step below the 1, usually major (Bb in C).

Does GraceNote change my song when I switch to Nashville?

No. It only relabels the chords on screen. Switch back to A-G and the chart is as you left it.

Do I say “six minor” or just “six”?

On paper, write the minor mark: a bare number means a major chord, so the chord is 6m or 6-. GraceNote writes 6m. Out loud, “six minor” is the clear form for new or guest players. Many bands that play together just say “six”, because 2, 3 and 6 are minor in a major key, and they only say “six major” or “two major” when the chord is altered.