Grateful Dead Music Forum

What Is The Nashville Number System?

The Nashville Number system is the greatest thing ever invented for the working musician...

http://hubpages.com/hub/nashvillenumbers

It's kinda fucked up for Nashville to take the credit for it.
But a good tool nonetheless..

I've always called that "system" harmony-theory with the only real difference being the use roman numerals ( I, ii, iii, IV, V, etc ) instead of of arabic numerals ( our 1,2,3,4 etc) ....It is very helpful to know, but I'd say Bach should get the credit.

mttourpro wrote:I've always called that "system" harmony-theory with the only real difference being the use roman numerals ( I, ii, iii, IV, V, etc ) instead of of arabic numerals ( our 1,2,3,4 etc) ....It is very helpful to know, but I'd say Bach should get the credit.

Agree, MT. Plus when using numerals you can denote majors and minors.

strumminsix wrote:

mttourpro wrote:I've always called that "system" harmony-theory with the only real difference being the use roman numerals ( I, ii, iii, IV, V, etc ) instead of of arabic numerals ( our 1,2,3,4 etc) ....It is very helpful to know, but I'd say Bach should get the credit.

Agree, MT. Plus when using numerals you can denote majors and minors.

While this is true, if someone wrote me a cheat sheet for a song, and I saw a "2" on the chart, I would assume it is an inside chord and play it minor. If they wanted an outside chord, they would have to specify which one in some way.

Mick wrote:

strumminsix wrote:

mttourpro wrote:I've always called that "system" harmony-theory with the only real difference being the use roman numerals ( I, ii, iii, IV, V, etc ) instead of of arabic numerals ( our 1,2,3,4 etc) ....It is very helpful to know, but I'd say Bach should get the credit.

Agree, MT. Plus when using numerals you can denote majors and minors.

While this is true, if someone wrote me a cheat sheet for a song, and I saw a "2" on the chart, I would assume it is an inside chord and play it minor. If they wanted an outside chord, they would have to specify which one in some way.

Kinda funny you say that in a thread with NASHVILLE in the title.

Think Big River...
1 | 1 2 5 | 1 4 | 1 5 |

If playing in a, you'd then play a Bm vs. the B7.

A | A / B7 E | A / D/ | A / E /|

strumminsix wrote:Kinda funny you say that in a thread with NASHVILLE in the title.

Think Big River...
1 | 1 2 5 | 1 4 | 1 5 |

If playing in a, you'd then play a Bm vs. the B7.

A | A / B7 E | A / D/ | A / E /|

I'm not sure what having "Nashville" in the title has to do with what I posted, unless there is some sort of "Nashville" style or something that I don't know about. I've heard of Nashville tuning, and my son has threatened to tune one of our guitars that way to try to play "Wild Horses", but that is about all I know about Nashville other than that it is located in Tennessee and presently has a serious wetness problem.

As far as Big River, I never really cared for that song, so I have never tried to play it. But, yes, without further instruction, I would assume the "2" chord was inside and play B minor. I took a quick look at the Ed Bick tab archive, and he lists B major, not B7, not that I have any idea which is correct. Maybe if I do try to play it, I will just play A shape off 2 and strum strings 5,4, and 3 to be non-committal about it.

Mick wrote:

strumminsix wrote:Kinda funny you say that in a thread with NASHVILLE in the title.

Think Big River...
1 | 1 2 5 | 1 4 | 1 5 |

If playing in a, you'd then play a Bm vs. the B7.

A | A / B7 E | A / D/ | A / E /|

I'm not sure what having "Nashville" in the title has to do with what I posted, unless there is some sort of "Nashville" style or something that I don't know about. I've heard of Nashville tuning, and my son has threatened to tune one of our guitars that way to try to play "Wild Horses", but that is about all I know about Nashville other than that it is located in Tennessee and presently has a serious wetness problem.

As far as Big River, I never really cared for that song, so I have never tried to play it. But, yes, without further instruction, I would assume the "2" chord was inside and play B minor. I took a quick look at the Ed Bick tab archive, and he lists B major, not B7, not that I have any idea which is correct. Maybe if I do try to play it, I will just play A shape off 2 and strum strings 5,4, and 3 to be non-committal about it.

What's funny is that you have Nashville in the title and would have performed a song often played in Nashville wrong by example.

A B works but the most folks I know accept the 7th of the 2 as the correct chord for country.

strumminsix wrote:What's funny is that you have Nashville in the title and would have performed a song often played in Nashville wrong by example.

A B works but the most folks I know accept the 7th of the 2 as the correct chord for country.

Well, I guess that just shows what I know about country music = nothing.

Mick wrote:

strumminsix wrote:What's funny is that you have Nashville in the title and would have performed a song often played in Nashville wrong by example.

A B works but the most folks I know accept the 7th of the 2 as the correct chord for country.

Well, I guess that just shows what I know about country music = nothing.

(the Dead and Johnny Cash are my biggest country influences, HA!)

strumminsix wrote:

Mick wrote:

strumminsix wrote:What's funny is that you have Nashville in the title and would have performed a song often played in Nashville wrong by example.

A B works but the most folks I know accept the 7th of the 2 as the correct chord for country.

Well, I guess that just shows what I know about country music = nothing.

(the Dead and Johnny Cash are my biggest country influences, HA!)

Make sure you toss some Marty Robbins and Merle Haggard in there too... for good measure.

Oh indeed!

I will openly admit that at shows, I was OK with the "Cowboy Songs" that seemed to commonly be Johnny Cash related, but when listening to shows on my iPod, I pretty much always skip over "Mama Tried" and "Big River" and the like. Not that I don't like country, just that that isn't what I listen to the Dead for. The songs I like to play on guitar are generally "classic rock", and I am sure that learning stuff about country music would help me since country, or at very least "Rockabilly", influences are so obvious in bands like The Rolling Stones, but I guess I just haven't gotten far enough down the road yet to spend any time on that.