"Nashville Number System" Basics Tutorial

An introduction to the "Nashville Number System"... This was developed about 50 years ago by one of The Jordanaires. You will find their videos at YouTube. They were Elvis' early backup singers and they had many recordings before they worked with Elvis. The system is also credited in part to Charlie McCoy a Nashville harmonica player who has appeared on many recordings. The system makes it possible to write a musical chart for people who do not read music and it also makes it possible to transpose the written numbers into any key without knowing how to read music. It is a musical language that gives performers a chance to arrange a musical number while it is being performed. This is my own adaptation of that system. Communicate with your band with this method. Learn it and it makes performing easier.

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• Nashville Number System

[valiantcold]

Thanks for this. I came across it mentioned in (Chronicles)Bob Dylan's book recently and your Video really helped me understand.

[Featureman]

@valiantcold You are welcome. Thanks.

[FoxZo83]

helped me understand the number system a lot better. thank you.

[Featureman]

@FoxZo83 You are very welcome. Thanks.

[Featureman]

@silvermediastudio True. They have a few tricks that are very helpful. Thanks.

[silvermediastudio]

@Featureman Many guitarists do.. they'll have two or three on stage each tuned differently so they don't have to re-tune between songs that require different tunings. They also use a capo to raise the pitch.

[silvermediastudio]

@Gallifrey77203 That would make sense, except that a harmonica player worth his salt can play three, if not four or five different keys on a single harp by playing in first, second, third, or further positions through bending and overblows.

[Featureman]

Thanks. I had not thought about that. It would be interesting if guitar players had to use a different guitar for each key or piano players used different pianos for each key.

[Gallifrey77203]

It makes sense that the number system would have been invented by an harmonica player. When the key changes they change harmonicas, but the numbers an the harp stay the same.

[Featureman]

@detauk You are very welcome.